For Love
by fuzzydream
Summary: If God wouldn't give them a chance, perhaps they should make one themselves, Anna decided. But she knew God worked in mysterious ways.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** So while debating better plots for Series 5, my friend HWW gave me this idea. She had thought it all in quite a few details, and gave me permission to continue it - I just had to write it. I consider this set after Series 4, or in whatever time in their lives where they're married and happy. You decide. The story is basically all written so it would be great if you told me what you think of it - so we'll get a new chapter posted maybe in just a few days, if you guys like this. :) Reviews are always very much welcome! And many thanks to Terrie for editing at least two chapters every day! ;)

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Downton Abbey.

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><p><em>For Love<em> by _fuzzydream_

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><p><em>Chapter One<em>

The wind howled through the streets of London, and it looked like rain would be coming soon. Anna wasn't thrilled at the prospect. She was still very far from Grantham House, and she had quite a few things to do before catching the bus. Still, she felt rather accomplished. She and John had decided to sell his mother's house in London, finally, and today she had signed the contract with an agency that would try to sell it. With the two of them hardly being in London all the time, it seemed like the better option. Now, they only needed to wait.

She also needed to post a letter for Lady Mary, and the moment she reached the post box, the wind tore the letter from her hands. Cursing silently, Anna ran after it; the street wasn't busy and she ran across it in pursuit. Lady Mary wouldn't be pleased if she lost the letter, she was sure, but her hopes were nearly dashed when the wind lifted the envelope into the air and whipped over a fence and out of her reach.

She then noticed what she was looking at; a school of sorts, probably, judging by the children in the little garden. Perhaps ten or twelve of them, small and wearing little uniforms. The letter was picked up, the next moment, by a little girl – who couldn't have been more than four years old, Anna thought –, and who looked at her questioningly from the other side.

"This is yours?" she asked timidly, her small hands tousling the envelope ever so slightly.

Anna smiled at her sweet voice and nodded. "It is."

The little girl raised her arm, and Anna crouched down a little to get the letter back from her. She shook her hair slowly, her blonde hair getting slightly dishevelled with the motion, and her big dark eyes stared at Anna with interest.

"Thank you very much," Anna said brightly, and the little girl smiled wider.

"You're welcome, Miss," she said slowly, as if she had been practising the words, and Anna couldn't help but grin; what a lovely little girl.

A young woman called for the children from a door, and Anna stepped back then. The little girl waved at her and she found herself rooted on the spot, waving back. It was only when the child turned to walk away that Anna noticed it – she had a limp, a small one at that, but a limp nonetheless, and her heart ached at seeing such a young child carrying such a burden. She walked slowly, but firmly – and she had to be reminded of her John, who carried the same walk, though it was much better nowadays.

The children soon left and emptied the small garden, and Anna walked further ahead, to the building's modest entrance. _St Anne's House_; she frowned. Perhaps it wasn't a school.

Just then, the doors opened and two women came from the inside. Two nuns. As they descended the steps, Anna rather impulsively walked towards them.

"Excuse me," she said softly, and the two nuns looked at her with kind eyes. "I was passing by and… I wondered, is this a school for small children?"

"I'm afraid not, ma'am," the younger woman said. "This is a children's home."

Anna nodded, her heart dropping a little. "Oh," she said after a second, then smiled. "I see. Thank you."

The two nuns nodded and smiled at her, then walked in the opposite direction whilst Anna remembered to cross the street and post the letter. Her eyes automatically searched for the garden she had stood in front of not five minutes ago, and she suddenly felt tears picking at her eyes.

How unfair the world could be for some.

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><p>When Anna found herself on the same street the next day, she couldn't help but take a better notice of the orphanage. It wasn't a big building, but it seemed very well taken care of. She could see a nun watching the children in the small garden, and she felt assured for some reason that the children seemed content and fine. It was around the same time as the day before, and she recognised the little girl who retrieved the letter for her. The children were quiet, apparently, except for one little girl who was crying rather loudly. With a heavy heart, she noticed one of the boys was in a wheelchair and another had one of his eyes covered – it seemed that all of the children had some sort of health issue.<p>

She shook her head ever so slightly. So many couples who couldn't have children, so many people with means to provide for children… And so many abandoned children still. Her breath hitched when she thought of herself and John; God hadn't been kind enough to give them a child yet, but they still had hopes. Lately she caught herself wondering if perhaps there was, indeed, something wrong with them… It certainly wasn't for lack of trying, she decided, if they counted the last few months. Perhaps it wasn't to be. Perhaps their chance was gone.

A smile crossed her face when the little girl she had briefly spoken to walked slowly to the crying girl, apparently a little younger, and handed her the small doll she had been playing with. Perhaps their chance was yet to come – she supposed that maybe they could skip the traditional method and think of other possibilities. As much as she longed to carry her husband's child and see a part of him and her walking this earth, she longed to see him being a father – because she was sure he would be absolutely marvellous at it.

With a lighter heart, she walked on, but not before sneaking a quick glance at St Anne's House once more, and being sure that both little girls had smiles on their faces.

If God wouldn't grant them a chance, perhaps they should make one themselves, she decided. At least… it would be good to talk about their options now, and see how they both felt about it.

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><p>Anna waited patiently for the kettle and leaned against the sink, a sigh escaping her lips. It felt very good to be home, and she had been glad when Lady Mary decided to retire early for once, as she was exhausted from their trip. It had been a good trip, nonetheless – she had managed to settle everything on the house whilst there, and did some very much needed shopping for her husband, as he did not enjoy shopping at all, but he definitely needed a few items.<p>

She only indulged herself once, on something she couldn't resist. A dress had caught her eye as well, but they did not have money to spare, and she felt as if the item she had chosen was too much already.

For some reason, she had been distracted by the windows of a toy store, of all things, and her eyes focused on a doll there. Her thoughts drifted to St Anne's House and she sighed – her mind kept thinking about that, apparently. It was hard to forget those poor, little faces; much as she grew up in a simple household with some financial struggles, her parents were very much present in her life until she went to service, and she had never lacked for affection or love from them.

The kettle whistled, and she went on to make herself a cup of tea. The tile felt cold against her feet, even through her stockings, and she rubbed one of them against her calf distractedly, humming a pleasant song. As she tried her tea and smiled against the cup, she decided to take a few biscuits with her to the parlour, and she was already munching one of them when she sat down and heard the key jingling from the door – John was home.

She was smiling when he appeared in the doorway, a minute later, already missing his coat and untangling his tie. His eyes shone with mischief and she nearly giggled at the look on his face – it felt good to be home.

"Good evening, Mrs Bates," he said quietly, walking slowly towards her.

She grinned. "And a good evening to you, Mr Bates."

He leaned down and kissed her then, his lips soft against hers, a little longer than the one they had managed to sneak when she arrived, earlier that afternoon. His hand stroked her shoulder slowly, and he smiled against her lips.

"I've missed you, but that goes without saying," John winked at her.

"It's always good to hear it, nonetheless," she teased him. "I've just made some tea. I thought it would be a while until you were done for the day."

"No, his Lordship didn't retire very late, thankfully," he finished unknotting his tie. "I'll just get a cup of tea and sit here with you."

"I can make you a cup if you'd like," she offered, but he shook his head.

"No, it's fine. You need more rest than I do, I'm sure," he said quickly, and left a second later.

She told him about the business with the house once he came back, and he stole a few biscuits from the plate as well. He discarded his shoes at some point, and unbuttoned his vest and the top buttons of his shirt. It was times like these that Anna came to enjoy the most about their lives – quiet, simple moments, talking with her husband in the safety of their home. Despite everything that had happened to them, she was thankful for having him – this life with him, that once had seemed so impossible to conquer.

"What is it?" he asked after perhaps a minute of comfortable silence. When she looked at him with a questioning glance, he smiled. "You've sighed perhaps four times in the last minute. Did anything happen?"

She could detect a bit of worry in his tone, and shook her head slowly to ease his concern. The frown remained on his forehead, nonetheless.

"It's just," she started, unsure of what to say, "I came across… I came across some children the other day, in London. Lady Mary's letter was taken by the wind and a little girl got it back to me through the fence. They were young children, no older than five, I think. I thought it was a school, but it was a children's home. St Anne's House. The children are not... I think most of them must have been abandoned because of their health. It breaks my heart."

She rested her cup of tea on the little table and chanced a look at John.

"And I, I suppose I wonder if perhaps we should… think about it," she smiled a little, reaching for his hand. He squeezed hers softly. "Because it hasn't happened yet. I can't believe how people would let their children go when so many couples want their own so badly. Like... Like us. And John, if you could see their little faces."

His thumb stroked her fingers. "I'm not… completely opposed to the idea. Much as I'll love to see you carrying our child," John grinned. "But Anna… I'm afraid that wouldn't be possible. There is my criminal record – I am a thief in the eyes of society. That alone creates a barrier for adoption. The expenses would be high, I'm sure, but we could work something out. I just don't think we would be approved for it. I'm sorry."

Anna blinked slowly and nodded. "Of course. I hadn't thought of that."

There was his criminal record. That would never be cleaned out, she knew, and she vaguely wondered what the kind nuns would think of that. That wouldn't do. Perhaps she had let her hopes soar too high.

John tugged at her hand.

"Come here," he said slowly, and she walked willingly the two steps it took to sit on his good leg. His hands came to rest on her hips, strong and warm, even through the material of the dress. She had missed him so much. "Let us not lose hope yet. You said it yourself once, it takes some people longer. We'll get there, you'll see. All right?"

She nodded and smiled. "All right."

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly whilst her other hand played with his hair – he would need a haircut soon, but for now she could enjoy it. She took comfort in his words, and believed him to be right – they just had to try some more.

John kissed her lips next, slowly, tentatively, until she finally deepened the kiss, and their hands grew impatient.

"What is it?" he asked her when she grinned and pulled away, slowly standing up between his legs.

She laced her fingers with his and smiled.

"I was just thinking about how much you'll love something I bought in London," she teased him, and his eyes darkened slightly.

"Really?" his hands stroked the outside of her thighs. "And what would that be?"

"Take me upstairs and you'll see," she whispered, not even bothering to think of their cups in the parlour or his shoes in the corner of the room. His hands moved up slowly until he finally found the garter that was hidden under her dress. He didn't know it was a new one yet, but she was quite sure he would be very pleased indeed.

"Your wish is my command," he said teasingly, standing up and grasping her hips in a delicious manner.

They certainly couldn't mind trying a little harder.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm very happy with the feedback the first chapter received! But perhaps that only made me more nervous to continue this... Really hope this won't disappoint! We see it more from John's point of view this time, and perhaps he'll make things work for him and Anna... Reviews are very much welcome! Would love to know your thoughts and hopes for the story. Thanks so much for reading!

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><p><em>Chapter Two<em>

Their weeks were spent in a sweet, uneventful bliss until one evening. Anna left the washroom with a faint blush upon her cheeks and her eyes failed to search for his. He was already in bed, a book in his hands, and he watched as she carefully braided her hair as she walked, deep in thought.

John watched from the corner of his eyes as she climbed into bed beside him. A deep breath escaped her lips.

"I fetched more coal earlier, in case you need it tomorrow or afterwards," he commented, closing the book.

Anna nodded, her swift hands reaching for a ribbon on the nightstand to tie the braid. "Thank you, darling. The weather has been fine, though. And it's only for two days," she smiled, teasing him for worrying, but he couldn't help it.

His hand covered hers on top of the blanket. "Will you miss me?"

"What a question," she shook her head. "I miss you whenever you're not with me."

He smiled, watching as she got comfortable, and he lay down beside her, blowing out the candle and leaving the room in faint darkness. Anna came to him first, her head resting in the crook of his neck as she nuzzled against him, and he dropped a kiss to her forehead.

"Is there anything you want for me to bring from London?" he whispered into the darkness, and felt Anna shaking her head against his chest.

"I don't think so," she answered quietly, and he stroked her arms. His eyes were growing heavy. A moment later, she spoke again. "I had... my cycle today. Again."

It took him a moment to process her words. This was the first time she announced the fact, and he felt his heart drop at her news - or lack thereof. Another month, and he could tell she was once again disappointed.

"Are you... Do you really think it will happen?" her voice was incredibly small when she voiced her worries, and he found himself not for the first time having doubts.

It would happen. That he knew - they were apparently healthy, and they had spent so many months under stress and pressure. It would happen; Anna was born to be a mother. He couldn't think of another woman who deserved that as much as his darling Anna.

"It will happen," he said with certainty in his voice. "And I'm sure it'll happen at just the perfect time. We just have to be patient."

She let out a chuckle at that, and the mood was lightened, something he was glad for.

"I can be patient," she looked up at him with a grin. "Can you?"

"I'll have to, as it will take at least nine months, anyway," he joked, and he felt Anna smile against him. "It will happen, and it'll be wonderful."

She sighed wistfully, and he knew she was closing her eyes. "Yes, it will."

Her breathing slowed soon enough, and he relaxed, but his mind seemed to be working hard now. His worries didn't lessen, despite his best attempts to make her calm.

They had no reason to believe that it wouldn't happen, but what if it didn't?

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><p>John took a deep breath as he stood in front of the building, his nerves suddenly taking the best out of him. He shook his head; he couldn't do this without Anna. Or at least not without her knowing. But he hated to break her heart once again. Perhaps if he could explain - or, at least, try to explain that he changed his life, they could have a better odds of adopting. Much as he wanted to see Anna pregnant with their child, he worried that perhaps his chance was gone now. He was older whilst Anna was still so young. He couldn't help but wonder how much longer they could wait. All he knew was that Anna deserved to be a mother more than anything in the world.<p>

And he could try to be a good father too.

He sat on a nearby bench, just a two houses away from St Anne's House - a suitable name, he decided. Perhaps the fates decided to help them out, one way or the other.

He chanced a look at the building and took a deep breath. Anna hadn't mentioned much about this place since coming back from London. He had to fish the name from his memory, and he only remembered because of the similarities with his wife's name. It wouldn't hurt to check it out, he had thought; after all, he agreed that perhaps it was time to look into other options. He would always be thankful that he had Anna - her presence alone gave him hope for more dreams. Perhaps it was time to look for them themselves now.

When he heard the voices of children, he looked back once more. Indeed, the school yard filled with children - though they were a little older than Anna had mentioned. They weren't many - perhaps six or seven - but it made him smile nonetheless. Maybe he could let himself consider the idea - it couldn't hurt to ask, at any rate.

Making up his mind, he stood up.

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><p>The office was welcoming and homely, but John felt slightly uncomfortable as he waited for the nun to speak. She looked older than him, but had been kind throughout their conversation. However, John could only hope his revelation hadn't shocked her too much. If it did, she had not shown it. He hadn't managed to see much of the house so far, except from a corridor and this very office, but he couldn't seem to find one little thing out of place, and that soothed him somehow – whatever would happen, the children seemed safe here. He knew that mattered – especially to Anna.<p>

"Mr Bates, I won't say this is a common occurrence," the nun, Sister Joan, said. "But it wouldn't be our first either. I appreciate your honesty. You see, our children here require special care, most of them. They aren't… the poor darlings have trouble getting adopted. Not only because there aren't too many couples looking into adoption, but mainly because these couples often look for healthier children."

John grew anxious. What could that possibly mean?

"As you must have noticed, Mr Bates, we take children who have been abandoned for several reasons. Most of them are because of their health, and unfortunately very few couples would prefer to adopt a child with a health condition than a healthy child," the nun gave a resigned sigh. "We would be willing to give you a chance upon a few more meetings, after seeing to the paperwork. We want to make sure our children are in the best environment possible."

_They would give him and Anna a chance._

John nodded. "Of course."

"But that's for another conversation," she smiled kindly. "You spoke of your wife. Have you been married for a long time?"

"No. Just over five years," he explained. "My wife, she loves children. Nothing would bring me more joy than to give her a child, but… it hasn't happened yet."

"It's in God's hands," the nun said.

"That's what Anna says," he smiled fondly at the thought of Anna. Perhaps, this one time would be their chance – perhaps it could really happen this way.

"Did you know, Mr Bates," Sister Joan said slowly, "that Saint Anne is the patron of childless people and mothers?"

"I did not know that, no," he said quietly.

"Please try and visit with your wife," the nun said with a smile. "I'd like to know her. And we could show you the house, and perhaps some of the children, if that's agreeable with you."

"That's perfectly agreeable," he quickly said, suddenly anxious.

Sister Joan smiled wider. "Splendid. We can talk more then – and perhaps you could bring some of your documents so we could properly look into them. Would that be all right?"

"Of course," John said with a smile. "When should we come?"

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><p>John paced in the courtyard, a little nervous at the prospect of talking to Anna. They rarely met out here nowadays, as they would hate to raise any eyebrows about spending time alone here when they had their own home and privacy. Still, he felt the need to talk to her now, as soon as possible. He and his lordship had arrived shortly before luncheon, and he had asked Anna to meet him here afterwards.<p>

At last, the door opened and she appeared, undoubtedly curious about whatever he had to say. He smiled at her, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't know what you're up to, Mr Bates," she started, "and I'm very curious, but first I think I'm entitled to a proper greeting."

He grinned, allowing himself to meet her lips fully, in a chaste, sweet kiss. She smiled against him.

"Well?" she asked at last. "We haven't much time. Whatever is the matter?"

"No matter," he quickly tamed her worries. "I went to the children's home you told me about. In London."

"What?" Anna's tone was perplexed. "But you said-"

"I know. But I wanted to be sure," he explained, and she nodded weakly. "I got in and I spoke to someone. I vaguely explained our situation and they said that... Well, given the situation of some children... They said that there are some limitations but we could try and apply."

Anna frowned. "Apply? For what?"

He looked around before speaking. "A child, Anna."

She blinked once, twice. "Really?"

Her voice had cracked a little with emotion and John nodded. "Really. We just have to go there and talk to them. See the children, see if they might approve us. A few visits might be necessary but I think this is our chance."

Anna smiled, though her bottom lip wobbled just a little. She grasped his hands impulsively and shook her head at him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going there?" she finally asked, though he couldn't detect annoyance in her tone, nor irritation. "What made you go?"

"I thought it was worth trying," he explained, then pursed his lips. "But I couldn't risk breaking your heart yet again."

"But… But I didn't think you wanted it," she frowned, playing with his jacket slightly. "You said we should wait."

"I know," he admitted, closing his eyes. "But I can't be sure that it will happen, and I want you to be happy. I'll be happy when you're happy. And I think this is our chance."

She smiled brighter now, reaching for his cheek and stepping closer. Before he knew it, her lips were on his again, this time much more forcefully than before. How he had missed her; he longed for days in the future where he wouldn't have to leave her ever again. But the door opened yet again and they pulled away quickly, clearly not forgetting the many times they might have done this in the past. Their hands remained intertwined, nonetheless.

"We best go," he whispered, and Anna nodded, tugging at his hand so he would follow her. "I'm sorry I had to tell you here. I just... I couldn't keep this any longer."

"It was just as perfect," she squeezed his hand softly before letting go as they entered the corridor. "I'm so glad you did that. So, so glad. You could never… You could never break my heart."

He shrugged. "I'd rather not risk it."

She merely shook her head at him, and his love for her only grew. If he could give her this, he would be a very happy man indeed. They were then interrupted by a bell, just as they approached the servants' hall, and Anna stepped ahead of him, already anticipating Lady Mary. She only let go of his hand to start for the stairs, and he watched her ascend with love in his eyes. Before she disappeared, she flashed him a beaming smile, to which he replied with one of his own. They might as well be about to parents now, at any rate. No matter how it happened – he didn't care about that anymore.

He had done something right, at last.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I was going to update tomorrow but since I'll be going away for the weekend I thought it would be best to post this chapter today just to be sure. Hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for everyone who has reviewed so far - we meet someone quite important in this chapter, so I'd love to know your thoughts! Reviews are always very much welcome :) Thanks for reading!

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><p><em>Chapter Three<em>

As soon as they arrived, a nun named Sister Joan came to greet them. She must have been the one who spoke to John before, as she greeted him enthusiastically and was curious about Anna. Anna felt so nervous she could barely smile properly, but they followed the nun to an office, away from the children and any prying eyes – or ears.

Anna fidgeted with her fingers as they waited for the nun to sit, and she politely refused a glass of water or tea. As the older woman spoke, however, John's hand came to rest on top of hers, and she relaxed a little.

"I must say I was curious to meet you, Mrs Bates," Sister Joan said kindly. "Mr Bates spoke very highly of you. I'm told you were the one who found us first."

Anna nodded with a smile. "Yes. I was walking and a letter escaped from my hands. One of the little girls handed it to me. It was completely by chance."

Sister Joan smiled. "God works in mysterious ways."

Anna nodded in agreement and shared a look with John. It seemed so odd, if she thought about it, that this might as well be the beginning of the journey of finding their child. She watched as John handed the nun the necessary documents, and they talked about paperwork for a while; Anna listened and paid attention; it was hard to understand that this might be how they would have their child.

"We might contact your employers," Sister Joan said after a moment. "As both of you work. Integrity is of the utmost importance here at St Anne's. I'm afraid most orphanages wouldn't demand so much, but we do things a bit differently here."

"That's all right," Anna said. "We can ask them to write to you, if you'd like. It wouldn't be a problem."

She looked pointedly at John, who agreed. "Yes, I don't think that would be an issue for them. We've been working there for a long time."

"And you would both remain working, even with the child?" Sister Joan asked as she looked into their files.

"Anna will leave service," John answered quietly. "That was always our plan. We want to… We have some property, here in London. And we're looking forward to selling it and then start our own business in Yorkshire."

He smiled at Anna.

"It would give us more time for ourselves," Anna added, watching as the nun wrote a few things down. "We could be together and have the… the children with us. But nothing will be done until we sell."

Sister Joan smiled. "That sounds like a lovely plan."

More questions were asked – of their current situation, about their working together and more plans for the future. It truly felt like an interview at some point, but Anna didn't mind answering the questions. Sister Joan had been kind enough to talk a little about the school, but not much, and then at last asked them if they would like to see the house and the children. She looked confident enough to encourage them, and Anna felt the little spark of hope in her heart grow just a bit.

The house was simple; the ground floor held some classrooms and the kitchen and dining room. It was all incredibly timed, and the older children were currently in class, which were all taught by other nuns. Only when they were ascending the stairs that the questions became a little more direct.

"Would you prefer a younger child?" Sister Joan asked quietly. "We can see them around here. The babies are in the nursery. We can start from there, if you'd like."

"We haven't really thought about it," John admitted as they walked down a corridor.

Anna spotted several children through the doors they passed by, all looking at them with wide eyes. She couldn't do it; she couldn't go from one room to the next seeing the children, giving them a hope that she shouldn't be allowed to give. She stopped then and there, unable to consider this possibility.

"The little girl," she found herself saying. John and Sister Joan stopped to look at her. "The little girl who retrieved my letter. She was about four years old, maybe less. Blonde. She was limping."

Her small outburst surprised John, she could see it, but his eyes were soft. Sister Joan merely gave her a knowing look and smiled, and motioned for them to follow her, which they did.

"You're talking about Emily," Sister Joan said. "She's three years old – her birthday was last month. She's been with us for a while. Her mother died shortly after her birth and her father… I dare say I do not know if he's alive at the moment."

John exchanged a look with her, and they finally reached a room where few children were – a small library, Anna noticed with a smile. And there she was – Emily – sitting on the floor with a book in her hands. Only other two children were there with her. They lingered by the doorway.

"She was very little, very thin when she came here. And she had the leg injury," Sister Joan sighed. "A fire erupted in her house – she has a few small scars, nothing that won't fade, but her little leg was quite damaged – something about her muscles and the tissue. We do not know exactly how it happened. We've taken her to a doctor and there's a treatment that could be done… to minimize the pain, and she would eventually walk normally. But we simply can't afford it."

"That's… That's ever so sad," Anna managed to say as she watched the little girl clutching to a somewhat old doll whilst she looked at the book.

Sister Joan nodded slowly. "But she was very young, and she doesn't remember it. And I think that's for the best."

Anna nodded slowly. Emily talked to the doll distractedly, and she smiled – such a lovely little girl with such a past behind her. It broke her heart. She sighed, and Sister Joan spoke again.

"You can go talk to her, if you'd like," she suggested, and Anna looked at her with doubt in her eyes. "Thank her for retrieving your letter."

Anna chanced a look at John, who simply nodded at her. They'd have to talk things through before coming up with a decision, she was sure – but the smile he gave her was encouraging and she wanted to speak to her – Emily – again.

She moved in slowly, her steps firm before her, and the little girl only looked up when Anna was almost in front of her. Her dark eyes were wide and Anna gave her a smile, sitting down on a vacated little chair beside the young girl. She was wearing a simple, well-worn grey dress, and her blonde hair was reaching her shoulders.

"Hello," Anna said quietly.

"Hello," Emily replied carefully.

"You got my letter the other day," Anna spoke, her tone light. "I wanted to thank you. Do you remember that?"

"Yes," the little girl nodded her head slightly. "What's your name?"

"I'm Anna," she said with a smile. "And you're Emily, right?"

Emily nodded, her eyes studying Anna with interest. She bit her lip, deep in thought, then spoke.

"You are _pweety_," she said with an innocence that made Anna want to hug her, the mispronunciation absolutely endearing to her.

"Thank you. You are very pretty too," Anna said, and the little girl smiled brightly at her.

"I like your hair," Emily said, eyeing Anna's hair and motioning the curled part of it. "It's very pweety."

"I like yours too," Anna said with a kind smile. "What is this book you're holding?"

Emily looked down at the book, playing with the pages. "Flopsy Bunnies."

She said the words very slowly, as if she was trying hard to say them correctly, and a soft grin fixed itself on Anna's face as little Emily told her about the book, which was a favourite of hers. She appeared to know the story by heart, and the copy was a little battered, but Anna only took it for a well loved book – something her own husband taught her about. When Anna asked her if she knew how to read, she shook her head; of course, she was much too young to read. But her eyes lit up as soon as Anna suggested reading it to her, and Anna knew then and there that ultimately her decision had already been made.

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><p>"She's a good girl," Sister Joan said as she and John watched Anna and Emily interact. "Very polite and very helpful. She came here as a little baby, really. Barely one year old. The leg injury developed as she grew up, but she doesn't complain too much. There are days when it's better. Some others are the opposite. I hope you understand that this would require some special treatment."<p>

"I know what you mean," John sighed wistfully, too aware of his own leg injury. A poor child shouldn't have to endure such a thing. "She has no one, then?"

Sister Joan shook her head. "No. Her mother died of the flu shortly after her birth. Her father… he became a drunkard afterwards. The fire in the house was his fault. I didn't wish to upset your wife, Mr Bates. Emily's father didn't have much left when we last heard of him."

But he had a daughter, John thought, and he let her go. He shook his head slowly, still watching the scene before him. It was clear that Anna was quite taken with the little girl, and he watched the moment with fondness. Emily was a lovely little girl – he didn't have to talk to her to notice that.

"Your wife is lovely, Mr Bates," Sister Joan said conversationally. "One can see she has a good soul. I have no doubt she and Emily will suit each other just fine."

John smiled. "Indeed, Sister Joan."

Just then, Anna looked up from her reading, and he saw a light in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a long time. And just like that, he knew that they had already agreed to a decision. No words were necessary.

* * *

><p>Lady Mary's eyes met hers through the mirror. "I'll write a very complimentary, very lovely letter to them."<p>

"Milady, you only have to say the truth," Anna insisted, but Lady Mary chuckled, adjusting her gloves.

"Please. That _is_ indeed the truth, Anna," her ladyship said as Anna put a necklace on her. "Although this saddens me, you know that. I suppose it is somewhat of a shock that you'd want children. Even though it was always a matter of time."

Anna pursed her lips at her words.

"But you'll help me train someone," Lady Mary pleaded her, "won't you? I mean the process won't be done next week."

"No, it'll take a few weeks at least," Anna assured her. "I'll help in any way that I can, for as long as I'm here."

"Good," Lady Mary said. "It'll be just dreadful, I know. I'm much too used to having you around."

Anna merely smiled, too content with the way things were going to worry about Lady Mary's reaction to the news. She was quite sure his lordship would be even more supportive once John told him, and she hoped this would help the process of adopting Emily. She almost burst with joy when John spoke the words to Sister Joan that they wanted Emily – he really could read her like a book. And he had even managed to talk to the little girl for a bit, though she was very shy around him.

It would get better. Anna knew it would.

Before long, Lady Mary left the bedroom for dinner, and Anna followed just five minutes later, a contented smile playing on her lips – and it only grew once she turned down the corridor to see her husband exiting Lord Grantham's bedroom. He grinned at her and waited until she reached him so they could continue walking together.

"How was it?" he asked anxiously.

"She's very sad to see me go and not thrilled at the prospect of finding a new maid," Anna spoke. "But she'll write them a very complimentary letter," John smiled brighter. "What about his lordship?"

"I haven't had a chance, but I'll talk to him after dinner," he said quietly as they reached the servants' staircase. "We might have her with us sooner rather than later."

She shook her head, and took his hand for just a moment. "It can't be soon enough for me. But you know I can be very patient."

He smiled wistfully at her. "We both can."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** A new chapter to start off the week! And now we see John interacting with Emily... though it's really just the start. Let me know your thoughts! We still have quite a way to go here. Thanks for reading, in special to everyone who has reviewed so far!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Four<em>

He shifted in his seat, quite uncertain of how things would go. Millions of thoughts occupied his mind, none of which was very inviting at the moment. He was suddenly doubting himself and the whole situation. This would be their first time back at the orphanage, and hopefully the last time before they could take Emily home. And he felt so nervous at the prospect.

"Hey," Anna called to him, her head leaving his shoulder to properly look into his eyes. He must have been shifting too much and woke her, as she usually slept through the train journey to London. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head immediately. "Nothing. Everything's fine."

"No. Tell me," her hand wrapped around his, and John was thankful they had a little privacy as the train wasn't too crowded. "You're having doubts about this, haven't you?"

John smiled inwardly. Of course she would know even before he spoke.

He sighed. "Not doubts. I'm just… worrying. Brooding. You know me."

Anna allowed herself to smile. "I do. But John, talk to me. You've been so accepting, I never thought you might not want Emily-"

"What?" John asked her. "Is that what you think? Anna, the moment I saw you with Emily I knew that was the right choice. That's not… She's a lovely little girl, but I… she doesn't really know me. And I'm not sure… I'm not sure she'll like me."

It seemed silly, saying it out loud, but he couldn't help how he felt. He had only been with the child for a few minutes, and she had remained quiet throughout the exchange, clearly much more taken with Anna – not that he was surprised. And now that this could be the confirmation that she would go with them in the near future, he grew anxious. While he wished to be a father – and how he wished it – it was completely different if the child was a baby. He would have to earn this child's trust and love – and he worried he wasn't capable of it.

"That's what you're worried about?" Anna asked him, a soft smile on her face. She shook her head in disapproval. "You and your silly notions. She'll love you. I've no doubt that she will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I love you," she said quietly, the words slow, and he would never tire of hearing them, "and it's the easiest thing in the world."

* * *

><p>While her words soothed him, it was soon clear that Emily was indeed a very shy child. He could relate; he had been a quiet child too, according to his late mother, though he was prone to several moments of mischief. Still, today, Emily had eyed him with more interest and curiosity, and he did get her to talk about her favourite character, Peter Rabbit. Her eyes fixed on his cane after a moment, even with Anna asking her about her drawing, and he braced himself for the questions that would surely come.<p>

Sister Joan had allowed them to talk to her and tell her about the adoption, considering that they were finally approved and they only needed to wait until it was finally legal and they would be able to take her home. This was something neither of them had expected – it was going faster than they initially thought it would, but he definitely wouldn't complain. They were caught by surprise with the fact that they could break the news to the little girl, and he felt anxious about her reaction – he let Anna do most of the talking and try to approach the idea, but as they talked to little Emily under the watchful eye of Sister Joan, it seemed that the child was set on asking about his leg.

"Why do you have that?" Emily asked at last.

"To help me walk," he replied, as simply as he could.

"Does your leg hurt?" she asked.

He felt Anna's eyes on him. "A little, sometimes. Not every day."

"Mine too," she said quietly, holding her rag doll tight. Anna's hand smoothed the little girl's hair lovingly. "Molly's leg hurts too. See?"

She showed him the doll, and he saw a cloth around the leg. It was a heart-breaking sight, Emily clutching the doll and her big wide eyes expecting some recognition from him.

"We can try to make her better," he managed to say, a tight smile on his face as he took in Emily's innocent, interested look, and Anna's teary eyes. "Right, Anna?"

Emily turned to look at her. Anna immediately nodded. "Of course."

Emily smiled. "Molly would like that a lot!"

Her newfound excited voice made Anna laugh and he chuckled too, not quite used to this kind of excitement yet – but he found that he loved it. Emily was now adjusting the doll's bright red hair, and Anna had a lovely smile on her face.

"What else would Molly like?" Anna asked.

Emily bit her lip, unsure of what to say, and John found himself holding a breath for her answer.

"A bunny," she said, her eyes full of mischief as she looked at Anna's dress. "Like Peter."

Anna pretended to think about it, then laughed. "We can arrange that. Anything else?"

This time, Emily focused on the doll again, and answered quickly. "A mummy and a daddy."

Anna blinked heavily once, twice, and he knew she was having some trouble with her emotions at the moment. Emily's words were a surprise, definitely, but now he supposed it wasn't really. He briefly wondered how many children she knew that went with their new parents never to be seen again, and he tried not to think of the disappointment she might have felt at not being the chosen one. He allowed himself a smile at that notion – they never really chose her. It simply had to be her.

"Emily," he started, as the girl was still interested in the doll. "Anna and I would like to know… would you like to come live with us, in our home?"

Emily suddenly looked at him with wide eyes. "Live with you?"

"What John is saying is that," Anna took a deep breath. "We want you to be our daughter. We want to be your mummy and daddy."

"You want to be my mummy?" she asked her in a loud voice, and Sister Joan turned from her desk to look at them.

"I do. I want that very much," Anna's voice cracked a little. "Do you want me to be your mummy?"

"Yes," Emily replied tearfully, reaching for Anna, who took her into her arms instantly.

They looked the perfect picture there, with Emily cradled in Anna's lap as Anna kissed her hair softly. One could not say they were not mother and daughter – they resembled each other more than just a little, and John felt immensely happy in this moment. It might not be what they had originally envisioned, it might not be ideal, but for now, to him, it had never been more perfect.

And when Anna's hand searched for his, the little girl still on her lap, he felt for the first time that their little family of two had just got bigger.

* * *

><p>They had just arrived at the Abbey the next morning and Mrs Hughes spotted them in the corridor, taking their coats off. They both greeted her, and John sent her a look before walking ahead, straight to the servants' hall. They arrived early purposefully, and Anna grinned at him before looking at Mrs Hughes with a smile.<p>

"How did it go, in London?" the housekeeper asked with interest, and Anna's smile grew brighter.

"It went very well," Anna said. "Perhaps we could speak privately?"

Mrs Hughes nodded promptly, leading Anna to her pantry. The housekeeper had been nothing but supportive in the last few weeks since they told her and Mr Carson of their intention to adopt Emily. While Mr Carson was uneasy at the prospect of losing another maid, Mrs Hughes looked truly happy with the news, even though it would mean that Anna would soon leave.

"We've been approved," Anna said as soon as Mrs Hughes closed the door. "They think we should be able to take her in two weeks, maybe even less."

"Oh, Anna, that's marvellous news!" Mrs Hughes exclaimed, a happy smile crossing her features. "So we'll soon meet this young lady. Does she know yet?"

Anna nodded. "We were able to tell her yesterday. She was… you should have seen her little face. She's lovely. We're so happy about this. Mr Bates wants to buy her some things – a few toys and then we should decorate her bedroom soon, to leave it ready for when we get the news."

"That's splendid, Anna," Mrs Hughes said, touching Anna's shoulder softly. "If there's anyone who deserve it, it's the two of you."

"Thank you," Anna said with a teary smile. "I just can't believe this is happening. It might not be what we planned and dreamed of but… I feel like she's everything I've ever wanted."

Mrs Hughes smiled. "I'm sure she is. I can't wait to meet her. You'll change this little girl's life."

Anna shook her head instantly. "No, Mrs Hughes. She's changing ours."

* * *

><p>Anna glared at John as they pushed the old cabinet out of the way. He really didn't have to help. She could very well do this on her own, but he wouldn't let her. He purposefully ignored her stare, and looked into the now fairly empty room. Their extra bedroom was small, but it would fit its purpose, she was sure. It could be lovely for a little girl, and they would make it work. The single bed was in good conditions still but she thought it could use some paint in it – so could the cabinet and the small wardrobe. They would work something out.<p>

They had painted the room in white when they first painted the house, and it was still very good. But it was clear that the bedroom could use some light in it – it was hardly perfect for a child.

She sighed, placing her hands on her waist and thinking about what to do here. Perhaps a friendly painting. She didn't really know what Emily liked, but she could try to guess, she supposed. When she looked at John, she found him staring at her.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. You look beautiful," John said softly, in a way that made her insides melt.

"Oh, please. I'm sure I look a picture," she laughed, thinking of her dishevelled hair after such a long day at work, but John just rolled his eyes. She was now training a new lady's maid, a Miss Wilson, and Lady Mary was giving her a bit of a hard time. "I think we should paint the furniture. They are still very good, but a new painting would give them some new life."

"I agree," John said. "Maybe the walls could do with some colour. Maybe something sunny, like… yellow, or pink. A little girl should have a colourful room. What do you think?"

Anna felt the smile on her face before she could even speak. "I think that's a lovely idea."

"I need to go to the village tomorrow for his lordship," John sighed. "Do you think you can spare some time and come too? We could take a look at the toy shop then and get something."

"I do have some things to do for Lady Mary as well, so I suppose I can go too."

John nodded. "I do feel like she should choose, but she can't have many possessions there and I want her to feel welcome here," he reasoned, and Anna's heart burst with love for this man. "What is it?"

Anna pursed her lips but her smile couldn't be contained. "I'm just thinking of what a great father you'll be to Emily."

John shook his head slowly. "I hope you're right."

"Have I ever been wrong?" she teased him, and let out a yelp when she felt his arms under her, lifting her to his chest. "John, your leg!"

"It's fine," he said before capturing her lips in a kiss, just as she tried to regain some balance by holding his neck.

"What has got into you?" she laughed.

"You," he replied. "You'll be the best mother. And I'm so lucky to be the one to share this with you."

She shook her head slightly. "There could never be anyone else but you."

She kissed him then, letting her hand travel from his neck to his jaw, her mind filled with tasks and the difficulties that would surely be ahead of them, but in that moment she had never felt so happy.

"Take me to bed," she pleaded as they pulled away, and John merely smirked.

"Certainly, my darling."


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter Five _

Anna brushed Lady Mary's hair slowly, unsure of what to say. Her mistress had rather unceremoniously sent Wilson away, claiming that she wouldn't need much tonight. Miss Wilson was nice enough, Anna supposed - a little quiet, if anything, but she saw it as a good sign. She wasn't much younger than Anna, and seemed to know what her place was, which was more than could be said for some.

"I will miss you, Anna," Lady Mary suddenly said, and Anna met her eyes through the mirror. "Really, I'm not sure if I can handle someone else. Perhaps I should try to be modern and not have a lady's maid."

Anna pursed her lips. "Miss Wilson seems nice enough. I think she won't disappoint you."

"Oh, but of course she will," Lady Mary said dejectedly, and Anna had to fight a grin at her tone. "But really, I'm very happy for you. I'll want to meet Emily. And I've asked Nanny to get some of Sybbie's old clothes from the attics for you. Tom didn't mind. Since your Emily is younger, you might find some things that fit."

Lady Mady looked pointedly at a small suitcase on the foot of the bed, and Anna stared at her with her mouth agape.

"Oh, milady. That's... I don't know what to say," Anna said, finally done with brushing her hair. Lady Mary turned. "Thank you."

"Please. After everything you've done for us this is the least I can do," Lady Mary said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll take a look when you're home. I'm afraid Nanny also put some baby clothes in there as well."

Anna laughed. "That's all right."

"Indeed, you never know when you might need them," Lady Mary smiled knowingly, and she spoke again before Anna could reply. "Mr Branson and I will personally see to some toys soon. We don't want to give anything away that might hold some attachment for the children."

"Of course, milady," Anna smiled.

"Thank you, Anna. You may go now," Lady Mary said, standing up. Anna reached for the suitcase, still surprised at it all. "Oh, and let Wilson come dress me tomorrow morning. I suppose I must get used to her soon enough."

"Very well, milady," Anna said, exchanging one last smile with her mistress before disappearing behind the door.

* * *

><p>Anna cooed at some of the clothes as she slowly took them out of the suitcase, John watching it all from his chair next to the settee. She smiled when she saw a pink skirt with some flowers on it, and showed it to John with a grin. He smiled at her.<p>

"She's going to look lovely in these," she said with excitement. "Oh, and there's a jumper to go with it too. This is adorable."

"It is lovely," John commented. "Very nice of Lady Mary to pass them down."

"I know. But you know Miss Sybbie and Miss Marigold get many new clothes all the time," Anna said quietly, then threw him a pointed look. "And so does Emily, apparently. I hope she likes them. I want to be able to buy her a dress that she chooses though. Little girls like that."

John smiled. "Did you?"

She pouted. "Not really, we didn't have much money. I got a lot of hand me downs from the neighbour's girls. But I dreamed of buying my own dress."

"Maybe Emily does too," John suggested.

Anna stopped folding a little shirt and looked at him with a bit of worry in her eyes. She didn't want to get too ahead of herself. She just couldn't wait to have Emily with them, so that they could finally start this new chapter in their life. This... waiting that seemed to go on forever wasn't doing her any favours.

"Do you think we might be too ahead of ourselves here?" she finally asked him. "I just... I worry. What if it doesn't work out?"

"It will work out. Sister Joan said that," John told her with certainty.

"I know," Anna said, fidgeting her fingers together slowly. "It's just that... Every time things start to go well something happens."

John let out a deep breath, and Anna regretted her words instantly. He was blaming himself.

"I'm sorry," he said, and it did not surprise her at all. "But it has to work. Everything will be fine. You'll see."

"I know," she shrugged. "I'm just being silly."

"Never silly," John smiled, drinking the last of his tea. He took notice of what Anna had in her hands now - an incredibly small gown. He smirked. "I don't think that will fit Emily very well."

Anna laughed. "You silly beggar, of course not. Lady Mary sent some baby clothes too. She told Nanny to get us anything that didn't fit Miss Sybbie anymore."

"Well, maybe... We might need them one day," he suggested, and Anna smiled at him.

Maybe, one day. She would keep the clothes just in case.

* * *

><p>During next few days, they had managed to buy a few toys, such as a teddy bear, some blocks and Anna thought about giving her a new doll, but she seemed quite taken by Molly already, so John suggested they choose a box filled with drawing materials that he thought it was quite nice. The painting of the furniture did not take very long, and they were looking very nice indeed. By the time they had managed to set about painting the walls, Anna's excitement was unwavering. They were waiting for the news anytime now, and they both were excited hear it.<p>

Now, she laughed as he attempted to paint a wall - clearly his skills to hadn't got any better over the last couple of years. His apron was covered with yellow stains - the colour they chose for Emily's bedroom, and Anna was currently hanging freshly washed curtains over the small window on the opposite wall which had been painted days before.

"Are you laughing at me?" John asked as he finished the wall, finally. Anna focused on her task at hand.

"You really haven't learned yet, have you? All covered in paint," she shook her head, the most adorable smile on her lips. He could never tire of seeing that smile.

"Well, it's all done now," he said, watching as she stood on the ladder. "This reminds me of when we first moved here. Do you remember?"

Anna looked down at him. "Of course. It took us weeks to finish the parlour because you were distracting me."

He reached for the can of paint with a teasing smile on his face. "I was distracting you? If I remember correctly, you were the one who kept distracting me."

"Me?" she asked innocently, climbing down the ladder and stroking her apron slowly. "I never did such thing. You kept painting me all over!"

He held out a brush full of yellow paint. "That's because, Mrs Bates, you rather unceremoniously painted my backside first."

Anna scrunched her face, as she hugged his waist softly, clearly not caring about the paint. "I did that, didn't I?" he arched his eyebrows at her, and she looked at the brush. "John, no. Don't you dare."

But before she could say anything more, he chuckled and painted the tip of her nose. She opened her eyes and glared at him, but he couldn't help but laugh at the picture she presented. Anna was so beautiful, glowing in the newfound fact that they were about to be parents, and he couldn't waste such an opportunity.

"You're gorgeous, Mrs Bates," he said, and she failed to form the words of what had probably been a scold. "Even in yellow."

Anna laughed, and he quickly put the can and the brush away to properly hold her. She took a deep breath.

"She might be right here next week," she voiced her thoughts.

John nodded, dropping a kiss on her neck. "Probably."

"This might be our last half day off together," Anna went on, her hands running through his hair.

"Indeed," he peppered her jaw with kisses.

"I think we should make the most of if," she finally said, and their eyes met. "Don't you think?"

"I quite agree," he nodded promptly, running his hands up her sides. "And what do you propose, Mrs Bates?"

She brought her finger to his lips and traced his skin. "You need a bath, Mr Bates. And I think I'll join you."

He quite liked her proposition. She certainly wouldn't hear any complaints from him.

* * *

><p>He and Anna were having tea in the servants' hall in a rare moment of inactivity; at this time, she would be usually with Lady Mary for her bath, but Miss Wilson had taken that task lately. He watched as Anna chatted happily with Mrs Hughes, and he couldn't help but think how far they had come already. Years ago, he couldn't even be sure if they would ever be married.<p>

Now, he found out that being married to her only meant loving her more and more every day. And no matter what, to see a smile on her face was always a dream come true.

Their tea was interrupted by Miss Wilson, who was apparently having a hard time containing her emotions today. Anna had mentioned Lady Mady had been in a particularly bad mood this morning, so he supposed that probably had to do with poor Miss Wilson's state.

"Mrs Bates, her ladyship is asking for you," Miss Wilson said, and he saw Anna frown slightly before standing up.

"Better check what's happened," Anna said, exchanging an understanding look with Mrs Hughes and a smile with him before disappearing up the stairs.

He turned his attention back to the book he had been reading; Shakespeare, of all things, mainly because he had been in the mood for something lighter, and Anna did love the sonnets. At least fifteen minutes must have passed before Mr Carson appeared and the few servants around stood up. As the butler told them to sit down, he looked straight to John.

"Telegram for you, Mr Bates," he said sternly before sitting down.

John arched his eyebrows, and felt his heart skip a beat at the words. It could only be very bad news or very good news, and he hesitated just a little before opening it. He could feel several eyes on him as he read, but he tried not to betray any emotions. When he did look up, Mrs Hughes was looking at him with a worried look on her face. He gave her a smile.

"I must... I must find Mrs Bates," he managed to say, and he stood up to leave quickly. He would wait for her by the servants' staircase and tell her the news in private, hopefully.

Mrs Hughes caught up with him just as he reached the stairs.

"Mr Bates," she called, and he turned to look at her. "Good news, I hope?"

John smiled. Of course she would want to check, for Anna's sake. He allowed himself to nod, but Anna should hear it first.

"The best news, Mrs Hughes."

His steps were quick and he soon found the corridor empty; he would wait for Anna here. The telegram was still in his hands, and he read it once again and allowed a bright smile to erupt in his face.

Just as he read the telegram again for the tenth time, perhaps, the door from the corridor opened, and Anna appeared, looking surprised to see him.

"Goodness, Lady Mary is certainly a bit of a challenge today," she said, loud enough only for him to hear it, but she soon noticed his smile. "What is it? Were you waiting for me?"

He simply nodded, and handed her the telegram. He watched as Anna read it - once, twice - until her teary eyes finally met his.

"Does-Does this mean that it's done?" she asked him, looking at the telegram once again.

"Yes," he said, "We can go back to get her as soon as possible. I'll speak to Lord Grantham this evening to see if he would spare me tomorrow."

"So she's ours?" Anna asked, a trembling hand covering her mouth.

John nodded as he took the telegram from her and his other hand caught her free one.

"She is, Anna," he said quietly, and Anna braced herself against him, her arms encircling his as a happy sob erupted from her.

"We have a daughter," she said in disbelief, laughing softly against his ear.

They had a daughter.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** This is a big chapter and I hope everyone will like it. Hopefully it'll live up to the expectations! Let me know your thoughts!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Six<em>

John opened the door quietly, then stepped aside to let Anna, who was holding Emily's hand, in. The little girl's possession fit into a small suitcase that he was holding, and he closed the door behind him to follow Anna into the parlour.

Emily had been teary when they got there, earlier today, but her mood had improved by the time they were on the train, and she had fallen asleep on Anna's lap during the ride to York; she had been very excited when Anna offered her biscuits and the little girl had devoured them by the time they were on the way to Downton.

Now, she looked at their modest home with wide eyes as Anna showed her the cottage. First the parlour, then the small kitchen and the washroom downstairs. Anna picked her up as they ascended the stairs, whilst Emily looked at everything with interest, albeit silently.

He couldn't help but smile when they reached the little girl's bedroom. Anna put her down then, and she looked at it all with curiosity. The room did end up very good, he thought. The pale yellow on the walls gave it a welcoming look and the bed was covered in a quilt embroidered with small flowers - something Anna had made a while ago but had never had much of a use until now. The toys were carefully placed on the small shelf - but the teddy bear sat proudly on top of the bed. He put Emily's suitcase of the floor and watched as the girl approached the bed.

"This is your bedroom, Emily," he said softly. "Do you like it?"

Emily nodded solemnly, eyeing the teddy bear. "Can I play with it?" she asked, looking from him to Anna.

Anna smiled. "Of course you can, darling. It's yours. You can play with anything here whenever you want."

Emily picked the stuffed bear, examining it and tracing its nose with her fingers. He met Anna's eyes, which were shining with happiness since they saw Emily for the first time in the morning.

"I'll get her clothes and put them in the cabinet," Anna said to him quietly. "Then we can get started on dinner. Will you have to go back to the house tonight?"

"Not unless they call me," he told her softly. "I'll go light up the lamps before it gets dark."

"All right, I'll see you in a little bit," Anna offered him a bright smile and he replied with one of his own, watching Emily for a moment before he turned away. He could hear the girls talking as he slowly went downstairs, and a contented breath left his lungs.

* * *

><p>Dinner was a very different occasion for once; it was rare for Anna and John to have dinner together on a day like this, but it had never felt more right with Emily with them. She had been very enthusiastic when Anna was cooking, and Anna rather appreciated the view Emily and John presented, as he attempted to show her full words on her new blocks, right from the kitchen table. Anna couldn't bring herself to mind.<p>

Anna smiled as Emily clapped when John told her the blocks were saying her name. Before long, Anna had to interrupt them so they could set the table, and John helped her whilst Emily sat quietly on her chair. She was a bit too small for the table, and John suggested a cushion from the settee; thankfully, it did the trick quite well.

"All right," Anna said as she picked Emily's plate. "We have potatoes, carrots and onions. Do you like those, darling?"

"Yes!" Emily happily replied, which caused Anna and John to laugh as Anna gave her some of the stew.

They talked a bit of everything as they ate, and Emily cleaned her plate quite well, surprising Anna somewhat. She knew for a fact how children could be picky, but she supposed it was different when she considered Emily's environment until now. The little girl ate some more before declaring she didn't want anymore and drank all of her water. Anna felt happy that she was seemingly feeling at home, even if she was prone to shy moments every now and then.

"Mrs Hughes said she might show up tomorrow to see you and Emily," John said, and Emily looked up at the mention of her name. "She wants to meet you."

Emily looked inquisitively at Anna.

"She's a very nice lady who is a good friend," Anna said, tucking a strand of hair behind Emily's ear.

"But you won't want to sneak some biscuits from her," John said animatedly, and Emily giggled.

"You sneaked biscuits before dinner?" Anna asked, looking from John to Emily. "Whatever am I going to do with you?"

This elicited more giggles from Emily, but soon enough the little girl let out a yawn and John suggested he cleaned up so Anna could give her a bath. Picking up Emily, Anna soon realised she would have to get used to the weight in her arms, but just the thought itself made her smile. It didn't take long to fill the bathtub for her. As Anna helped Emily take her clothes off, however, she was slightly unprepared to see the small scars over legs, and a bigger one on her thigh. She wasn't taken aback, however, not with Emily's eyes watching her every moment, but her leg's injury did not look very good. She thought that maybe the ointment she used on John's leg would get better – she would try it, just a little, when she put Emily to bed, and they had already meant to see Dr Clarkson soon anyway.

Emily told her little things here and there; she talked about her little friend from the orphanage, Sarah, and about a Sister Agnes who apparently was the one who cared for the children her age. Anna found it rather enchanting to hear the little girl speak so openly like that – she had worried she might be a little sad and missing the life she knew once she arrived.

Emily had yawned several times by the time Anna finished her bath, but her eyes looked up as soon as Anna picked the night clothes she would wear. Anna had chosen the ones she had recently washed from Miss Sybbie, and they included a new pair of knickers and a lovely pink nightdress with a frilly collar.

Anna smiled when she noticed Emily's eyes light up as she held out the nightdress, and the little girl quickly raised her arms so Anna could put it on her.

"Do you like them?"

Emily nodded and smoothed the fabric under her hands. "It's pwetty."

"All right, now come here so we can get your hair dried and get you ready for bed," Anna said, and Emily quickly caught her hand to leave the room.

She found John settled on his chair reading the newspaper when they left the washroom, and he smiled at the sight of Emily.

"Where's Emily?" he asked jokingly, and Emily leaned against her legs, a smile erupting on her face. "I see a beautiful girl, but where's Emily?"

"It's me!" she blurted out, giggling.

Anna laughed. "I'll just get her hair done and she'll be ready for bed."

He nodded. "I'll go up in a minute."

Anna managed to dry Emily's hair with the towel as she got her to sit quietly by her own vanity, in her and John's bedroom. The little girl was clearly very curious about hair pins and ribbons. Her hair was very much like her own, not very thick and easy to manage. She watched Emily for a moment before speaking.

"We can do some lovely plaits in your hair tomorrow," Anna smiled. "What do you think?"

"Can we? _Pease_?"

Anna laughed at her enthusiasm as she brushed her hair. Finally satisfied with the result, she decided Emily definitely looked so much better after a bath and fairly new clothes – her poor dresses weren't exactly in the best state. With a sigh, Anna reached for a drawer and got the small can containing the salve out.

"Let's go to your bedroom, Emily," she said, and the little girl stood up. "So we can get you settled. Today has left you tired, hasn't it?"

Emily shook her head, but her yawn was an indication that Anna was right. It was a good thing the bedrooms were right next to each other – she hoped Emily's first night would go just fine, but she didn't want her to have any trouble in coming to them in case anything went wrong.

Anna tucked her in slowly, and then decided to put some of the salve on her little leg. Emily did not question it, and she flinched a little, but Anna knew it would help her muscles relax and it might be better tomorrow. It was very different from John's wound, and she would almost think the little girl was burned not so long ago if it wasn't for her history. Nevertheless, she braved it all silently, and Anna was just tucking the blanket around her when John entered the room.

"I was just applying some of the salve on her leg," Anna smiled, looking at her husband, but John was looking at Emily. Anna turned, and noticed how Emily was trembling her lips a little, as if to keep from crying. "What is it? Did I hurt your leg, darling?"

Emily shook her head immediately, and Anna looked at John, who seemed to be looking around the bedroom, searching for something.

"Emily," John asked quietly. "Do you want Molly?"

"She's not here," Emily said promptly.

Anna frowned. "She's still in London? Oh, darling, did you forget her?"

Emily shook her head, a lone tear escaping her eyes. "No… I gave her to Sarah bec-cause she didn't have one. But I always sleep with Molly."

Anna turned to look at John, a little unsure of what to do, until his eyes fixed on the teddy bear they had bought her. Anna quickly picked it up, and offered it to Emily.

"Well… This lovely teddy bear can take care of you while you don't have your doll," Anna offered, but Emily still looked broken-hearted. "And if he is unable, you can just call us and we'll come here and see you. All right?"

Emily sniffed, taking the teddy bear from Anna, and nodded tearfully.

"We'll leave the lamp on," John said, stroking her hair slowly. "And we're just in the other room. All right?"

"All right," Emily said, and Anna noticed her eyelids were growing heavy, despite everything.

"That's my darling," Anna said, pinching the tip of her nose softly. Emily smiled.

"Good night, Emily," John said, smiling down at Emily and stroking her cheeks.

"Good night," the little girl replied, and Anna snuggled her further into the bed, hoping she was comfortable.

"Good night, darling," she kissed her forehead. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Mummy," Emily said in a small voice, turning to watch the teddy bear with sleepy eyes; she failed to notice how Anna's eyes filled with tears at her words, and Anna stood up to see John by the doorway, waiting for her. She wiped her tears away and took the hand he offered, relishing in the feeling of his lips against her temple, taking one more look at Emily before leaving her door partly opened and stepping into the corridor. She shared a smile with John and they left for their own bedroom.

They stayed awake for a little bit longer, getting used to this new ritual; they decided to stay upstairs as Emily might come for them, and soon Anna was already in bed, settled for the night and thankful for the early hour. She too was tired. She told John of Emily's leg and they reflected on the day – it had gone better than they had hoped. They had a lovely little girl with them now – finally.

"She's out like a light," John told her as he entered the bedroom after deciding to check on Emily once more before sleep. "It was an exciting day for her."

"For us all," Anna whispered as he got into bed. "She likes you very much."

John sighed. "You think? She's much more taken with you."

"She's just shy," Anna told him softly, turning to her side to hug his middle. "You'll see."

He kissed her forehead then, whispering in her ear that he loved her, and Anna found her eyelids growing heavy as she returned the sentiment.

She already couldn't contemplate not being Emily's mummy.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I was going to post this chapter yesterday, but I forgot - whoops! Hopefully you'll like it. We see a bit more of John and Emily but this is only Emily's second day, so it's going slowly. Tell me what you think! :) And maybe if everyone seems to like it I'll update this week again, as I won't be around this weekend... We'll see how it goes. :)

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><p><em>Chapter Seven<em>

The night had been uneventful, much to Anna and John's relief, as little Emily was probably exhausted from the long day they'd had, unused to train rides and a different home. Anna had woken up with John, as it was usual for them, but they both decided that he should have breakfast at the cottage, instead of their usual routine, which was to have breakfast at the Abbey. It was weird, Anna quickly decided, to wake up and collect blocks from the kitchen floor and to prepare her husband breakfast so that he could go to work whilst she stayed home.

"I'm getting quite used to this," John commented as he sat down and she prepared his toast. When she looked at him with questioning eyes, he smiled. "Your cooking. The stew was lovely last night."

Anna laughed. "Don't let Mrs Patmore hear you."

It was much too early to wake Emily, so they both decided to let her sleep. She was young and she could spare some time to have a lie-in - Anna herself hadn't had many chances of that as a child. Once they finished breakfast John prepared to leave, and she followed him to the door as he put on his coat and hat. She knew she must have a somewhat sad look on her face, seeing him go without her, and he certainly looked no different.

"It'll be hard without you," he said as she adjusted his tie.

Anna smiled, nonetheless. "You'll manage. Will you come for tea?"

"As soon as I can be spared," he told her promptly. "Don't hesitate on coming to get me if anything happens."

"All right," she allowed, kissing his lips fully. "Have a good day at work."

John looked over his shoulder as he left, a smile crossing his lips.

"It'll only be tolerable at the most, without you there."

Anna shook her head as she watched him go, and waved when he looked at her one more time before disappearing down the road. She sighed. This would be a very different day, she knew, but as much as she missed him she was quite excited to get started.

* * *

><p>Emily had woken up naturally a few hours later, her hair completely dishevelled and yawning rather loudly. Anna smiled at her when she saw her in the doorway of the parlour, having just finished tidying up the cottage and had been in the process of getting Emily's clothes for a wash.<p>

"Good morning, darling," Anna said cheerfully, noticing that Emily was barely limping today. That had to be a good sign. "Did you sleep well?"

Emily nodded, scratching her head sleepily as Anna guided her to the kitchen. She prepared her some porridge, which she ate heartily, before they set to get her ready for the day. Anna vaguely thought this wasn't too different to being a lady's maid, as she worked on Emily's hair. They chose a dress together, and Emily had chosen a blue one, simple but very nice. Soon she was all dressed, her blonde hair split in two plaits, and apparently very much awake. The little girl followed her into the garden in the back, as Anna set about washing the clothes Emily had brought from the orphanage, and she played and talked animatedly with Anna the whole time.

When luncheon came, she again made no complaints and ate everything on her plate, including all vegetables. Anna was sure they couldn't have asked for a more well-behaved child; Emily was certainly more on the quiet side, and Anna couldn't help but be reminded of John. Shortly after luncheon, much to Emily's interest, John arrived, having managed some free time to be with them. Emily had been shy upon his sight, but her eyes were glued to the package he was holding.

"Hello, darlings," he said as he came in, and kissed Anna on the cheek.

"You're earlier than I thought," Anna said with a smile.

"I could spare some time, but I'll have to get back soon," he explained, then turned to Emily, who had been sitting beside Anna on the settee. "I must say, your hair is looking very pretty."

Emily smiled. "Mummy made them," she explained, holding her plaits.

"I see," John winked at Anna. "Well, I stopped by the village just now and decided that you will need a friend here. So this is for you."

Emily caught the package he offered quickly, clearly too curious to mind. She took a rag doll out, simple but very pretty, Anna could see, though she was very different from her previous one. She watched John and Emily with love - her husband was such a thoughtful man. Emily looked up at him, as if expecting some sort of recommendation, and Anna could see that she loved the doll already. Unlike Molly, her hair was dark and had plaits too, which she suspected were quickly becoming a favourite of Emily's.

"Thank you!" Emily exclaimed as John laughed and took a seat on his usual chair. "What is her name?"

John pondered, then smiled at the little girl. "Maybe we can choose one together?"

Emily nodded solemnly, and Anna laughed to herself at the way John talked to her. She knew he was trying very hard, but Emily clearly had him around her little finger already. Adjusting her plaits, Anna decided to think of a name.

"What about... Rose?" she suggested, but Emily shook her head. "Rosie?"

Anna said rather aimlessly, but it got a chuckle from John.

"Maybe... Poppy?" he suggested, clearly unsure of what to say. Emily, however, smiled.

"Yes! Her name is Poppy," she decided, hugging the doll. "Can I show the flowers to Poppy?"

Anna chuckled. "Of course, but be careful, and come back soon."

"All right," Emily replied, walking a little too fast for Anna's liking, but she wouldn't say no to such an innocent request.

John held out his hand for her to take and Anna sat on the edge of the settee, taking it and lacing their fingers together.

"How has she been?"

"She's an angel," Anna sighed. "She ate all of her food, sat around when I was doing the laundry and even helped me make her bed. She seemed interested in cooking, I might bake a cake so she can help me out."

"I wouldn't want to miss that," John smiled. "And how have you been? First day out of work in... What, twenty years?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me. And not so many years yet, please," she reminded him, and he chuckled. "It's different. But not too much, really. How has been your first day without me?"

"Completely dreadful," he said instantly, and Anna laughed. "Daisy accidentally caught something on fire in the kitchen, and Mrs Patmore has been in a mood since then. Just a normal day, as you can see. Everybody sends their love, and they asked that you visit and bring Emily with you to meet everyone."

"Sounds like a good idea," Anna said. "But I'll wait a few days. I don't want her to feel overwhelmed."

"Yes, that would be best," John agreed, just as Emily returned, clutching Poppy to her side. "Did Poppy enjoy the flowers?"

"Yes!" Emily said happily, returning to sit by Anna's side.

"Really?" Anna asked, exchanging a look with John. "Maybe Emily and Poppy would help me with a cake in a bit."

"Can I?" Emily asked, flailing her little arms excitedly.

"Of course!" Anna told her, then looked at John. "What kind of cake would you like, love?"

John replied immediately. "Chocolate."

The word made Emilly giggle and jump a little on her seat, which was very endearing. Chocolate it would be, then.

After John left, they set on about baking the cake, though Emily more watched than helped, wanting to make sure the cake would be ready soon, and she must have asked over ten times if they could take it out of the oven yet. Indeed, she had only stopped asking when Mrs Hughes showed up, picking up the interest of the little girl when the housekeeper offered her a children's book.

"Mr Bates says she likes Peter Rabbit," the older woman had said, and of course she had made the right choice.

Emily couldn't read, but the drawings alone were enough to excite her. She was such a darling child, it was impossible not to find every little thing she did endearing. With Mrs Hughes, she had been shy and quiet at first, but soon enough she was giggling loudly and talking of all the exciting things in her new world. She showed Poppy around, asked Mrs Hughes to spell her name with blocks and even asked Anna to spell her own name with them - they might have another strong reader with them. Anna's heart burst every time the word 'Mummy' left her mouth, and she was quite sure Emily had only made their little family more perfect.

* * *

><p>John had managed to arrive home at a reasonable time that evening, and found Anna knitting and Emily playing with Poppy in the parlour, clearly waiting for him. Emily smiled brightly when he entered the room, greeting him a little loudly, but he could only find it endearing. She was already in her nightclothes, seemingly ready to sleep. Perhaps Anna was right; perhaps Emily was warming up to him.<p>

He proposed they read a book now, and Anna had smiled encouragingly at this. They had bought a few children's books for Emily, but she of course could not read yet. So he settled beside Anna on the settee, with Emily between them - though she visibly leaned against Anna - to start reading.

He did as best as he could - he had never actually read for a child yet, and he tried to make different voices and gestures. By the time he was on the third page of a Peter Rabbit book, Emily was leaning over him, to see the drawings too. She giggled sometimes, clearly finding the whole reading very amusing, but soon enough her body was leaning against his side, and her yawns became more frequent. When he was almost done, Anna spoke.

"John," she whispered, looking at Emily, and he looked down too.

Their little girl had fallen asleep against him, and his arm around her shoulders, holding her steady. He smiled, and so did Anna - it was past bedtime for someone.

"I'll take her," Anna said, but John shook his head.

"No, I can do it," he smiled.

He closed the book, and tried to pick Emily up in his arms as slowly as possible. She groaned slightly, but did not wake up. Leaving his cane downstairs, he slowly took her to her bedroom and tucked her into bed, leaving the lamp on once more. Emily held Poppy close and snuggled against her pillow, seemingly very comfortable.

He took some of her hair off her face and dropped a kiss on her forehead; she never even stirred. She really was a lovely child - she was similar to Anna, even. It was far too easy to be enchanted by this little girl.

Smiling to himself, he left the bedroom slowly, only to find Anna walking upstairs, holding his cane.

"You left this there," she handed it to him as she reached the landing. "Did she wake up?"

John shook his head. "Barely even moved. I'll go get ready."

Anna smiled. "All right, I'll just check in on her and I'll go too."

Anna took her time, probably checking the lamps and the locks, even if he had already, and when she reached their bedroom he was already in bed, distractingly reading a sonnet. He smiled when she came in, but frowned when he noticed she closed the door. They had not done it the previous evening because of Emily.

"She's fast asleep," Anna told him, unbuttoning her dress slowly. His throat felt dry. "So I thought we could make good use of you being home early."

Her shoes went first, and by the time she reached the bed she had already discarded her dress as well. He put the book on the nightstand and Anna straddled him, wearing only her underwear. He was slightly surprised at the intensity of her kiss and it took him a few seconds to regain full control of his thoughts, just as Anna took his shirt off.

"What is this for?" he chuckled, stroking her waist and bringing her closer.

"For being an amazing father," she said, kissing his cheek. "And for being an incredible husband."

"Are we sure this is me we're talking about?" he joked, peppering her face with kisses.

"Yes," Anna said forcefully, and he knew better than to argue. "Now, Mr Bates, we must be quiet or -"

But she couldn't finish her sentence, as he kissed the delicate skin right beneath her ear, and she let out a low moan. This would be something different for both of them, but he couldn't really say he didn't want to try. If anything, Emily only brought out qualities in Anna that he was only now discovering. John chuckled.

"Understood, Mrs Bates," he whispered. "But the same goes for you."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** A new chapter for the week! Many thanks to Terrie for editing and Mishka67 for the insight - it did help with this chapter, thank you so much. This chapter is a little longer than the others, hope everyone will like it! Thanks so much for reading!

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><p><em>Chapter Eight<em>

The curious glances around them did not go unnoticed and both Anna and John had expected them. As the servants arrived, many of them stopped by to talk to Anna, especially the women, eager to meet the newest Bates. Emily had been unfazed by it all; she smiled politely and giggled when Mr Molesley and Miss Baxter approached them, and Mr Molesley, in a somewhat nervous movement, nearly fell down.

Emily had behaved well in church, obeying what Anna told her; of course she must have been used to this after her time in the orphanage. She remained quiet and played with Poppy, glancing towards other children every now and then, and when she was distracted she took it as her task to smile at Mr Carson, who sat behind them, and soon enough Anna could see the butler smiling back.

Afterwards, the butler and the housekeeper stood with them, Emily now in Mrs Hughes' arms.

"Goodness, Anna," the housekeeper said, pinching Emily's nose affectionately. "If I didn't know better I would have thought I missed quite a few years and only now saw this. She's a lot like you."

"Pretty just like Mummy, of course," John said as Emily pointed Poppy at him and he tickled her softly. Anna's heart warmed at the scene; over the last few days Emily had definitely flourished and it was clear for everyone to see how smitten she was with John.

"We had a letter from Sister Joan yesterday," Anna explained. "She wanted to know how we were getting on. Emily helped, didn't you, darling?"

Emily nodded solemnly. "Yes! I told her about the big house and my toys and the squiwwels. Mummy wrote it."

Mrs Hughes smiled, but it was Mr Carson who spoke.

"You don't think there's any worry that they are checking in on you, do you, Mr Bates?"

"No, Mr Carson. Everything seems finalised and we even went through it with our lawyer before accepting all the terms," John said, looking fondly at Emily. "We didn't want any loose ends."

Anna smiled at this, whilst Emily looked at John.

"Daddy," the little girl said, and Anna had not got used to the term, as it made her incredibly happy. She only said the word yesterday when John came home, and her heart skipped a beat when she had watched Emily walk to meet John and hug him to welcome him home. She was used to talk of John as "Daddy" in front of Emily, and the little girl herself had been referring to him as just that, but it was only yesterday that she said it to him. "Can we see the flowers?"

"But of course," John said, and Anna noticed the familiar glint in his eyes as he took her from Mrs Hughes' arms. He was so careful with Emily, being so mindful of her leg and still having to worry about his own. Anna was sure he would be sore soon enough, from picking her up, but he wouldn't listen to her and did it anyway. Emily looked entirely too comfortable in his arms, and she wouldn't take this from them; at least now she was still little to snuggle into their arms. "I'll walk them home and then follow you to the house, Mr Carson."

"Very well. I'll get on too," Mr Carson said gravely, then nodded at Anna. "Mrs Bates."

"Until some other time, Mr Carson," Anna said, then laughed when she noticed how Mrs Hughes rolled her eyes. "Is he quite well?"

"I don't think he's got over the shock of having a valet who has a child," Mrs Hughes shook her head good naturedly.

"Imagine that," Anna smiled, watching as John led Emily by the hand a few feet away from them, hoping that the walk wouldn't be too hard on either of them.

"Emily is such a lovely little girl. Mr Bates has only good things to say about her," Mrs Hughes said, watching the scene as well.

"She's such a darling child," Anna said with a smile. "The other day she was talking about the orphanage and I was worried she would miss it. But she said with a lot of certainty that she loves Downton."

Mrs Hughes laughed. "She seems to be very caring," she commented, watching the little girl and Mr Bates. "And what of her leg, Anna?"

"We'll take her to Dr Clarkson soon," Anna let out a sigh. "We want her to be a little more adjusted before that. They said that the treatment was expensive but it could heal her. So we'll see."

"I hope so. She's too young to have to live with such a problem," Mrs Hughes smiled sadly. "I should get going too."

"Stop by the cottage for some tea this week," Anna said, before the housekeeper could say anything else. "Just for some tea, whenever you can. It would be lovely and it would give you a chance to know her a little more."

Mrs Hughes smiled. "I will, don't worry. I'll let you know the day before, through Mr Bates, so you can prepare."

Anna laughed. "All right."

She watched the housekeeper walk away for a moment before turning to see Emily and John a few steps behind, and he was holding her and showing her something on a tree - a bird, probably, or perhaps a squirrel as Emily loved those.

Life was made of simple things.

* * *

><p>John sat at the foot of the bed, whilst Anna sat right in front of Emily. The little girl had been feeling under the weather since the previous day and today she didn't want to get out of bed when Anna did call her. He had come home for tea only to find Anna exasperated at it all, a little unsure of what to do.<p>

"How is it looking?" John asked worriedly.

"Her fever is down," Anna sighed, stroking Emily's cheeks carefully. The little girl remained quiet. "I'll check again in a little bit. It would be down after the cold bath but best be sure."

"Are you feeling a little better, Emily?" John asked, and the little girl nodded sleepily.

"Sleep, my darling," Anna said quietly, and he could not see her face but he was sure it was filled with concern. "I'll come in to check on you soon, all right?"

Emily nodded, her cheeks flushed pink and Poppy close to her chest. It surprised him how much she loved the doll - she'd take her anywhere, put her to sleep and even wanted her to have a bath a few days ago. Anna threw him a worried glance and he followed her out of the bedroom, as Emily had already closed her eyes. He and Anna walked down the stairs, not wanting Emily to hear their talk, and as soon as they reached the parlour Anna spoke.

"We must take her to Dr Clarkson," she said immediately. "We should have done that days ago. We knew this would happen."

"We've been giving her time to adjust," John told her. "This isn't our fault. You know that."

Anna sat down on the settee dejectedly. "I know. I know that, but I'm worried. I hope there's something we can do about this. We knew that she was feverish on occasion when we adopted her. It's in her files."

John nodded, sitting beside her. "Have you read it all?"

Anna furrowed her brow. "I tried to. Terrible handwriting."

John chuckled quietly, and Anna managed a smile as he pressed a kiss onto her hair.

"We'll do whatever it takes to make it better. You know that," he reassured her. "It's my half day tomorrow. Let's take her to the hospital together. I want to know what's the matter too. We'll bring her files - surely it'll take another doctor to understand this doctor's handwriting."

Anna chuckled. "All right. Thank you for this. I was so worried before you arrived."

"Of course you were. You're her mother," he stroked her cheek slowly. "I'm worried too, but we'll make it through this. We'll soon see our daughter running about, driving us both insane with her adventures."

He couldn't help but smile at his own words – it was hard to imagine life without Emily, and it seemed odd to think that just a few weeks ago they didn't have her in their lives. He worried, of course – she was entirely too small to be suffering so much, and he would do his best to make sure she wouldn't have to suffer anymore – not now, and not in the future. He didn't want her to have the childhood he had – she deserved a happy, loving life and that was what he would try to ensure for her, or any other children he and Anna might have in the future. Perhaps, if nothing happened, they could think of adopting again, even – a child should have siblings. But that would be an issue for other days, as now they needed to be entirely focused on their little girl.

"Well, remind me not to complain too much, then," Anna said, apparently a little more relaxed.

It seemed like parenthood was really only beginning now.

* * *

><p>Emily rested on Anna's lap as they sat in front of Dr Clarkson's desk. John gave them both a smile of reassurance and pinched Emily's nose as they waited; the doctor had already examined her and was now reading the rest of her files, which weren't too many. Finally, he looked up, threw a compassionate look to the little girl, and then addressed Anna and John.<p>

"She has an infection," he said simply, though his face expressed concerns. "We're lucky it hasn't spread out yet. It's coming from her injury. I'm certain that when it happened they didn't take all of the dead tissue left. That's what's causing it."

"An infection?" Anna asked, her eyes darting to John and then to the doctor. "So we only need to make it go away."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that, Mrs Bates," Dr Clarkson sighed. "The injury hurts because it has infected most of her thigh. That's why she limps on occasion. We'll need to make sure the injury isn't infected anymore, and we must start soon."

"And once that's done?" John asked anxiously, though he knew what was to come. He had heard enough of that during his soldier times.

"She'll have to have a surgery," Dr Clarkson explained, "to take all the dead tissue out, to make sure she won't get another infection."

Anna kissed Emily's head, and John saw a trace of tears in her eyes.

"And that should be done sooner rather than later," John said, and the doctor nodded.

"Yes, Mr Bates," Dr Clarkson said, looking at Emily. "She's young. The limp might not be much now, but it makes her not work that leg's muscles, and that can bring consequences in the future."

John nodded, all too aware of his own malfunctions.

"I understand that."

"However, that's not the main issue here," the doctor continued. "The infection might indeed spread. I don't think it has yet because she has been on and off treatment for a long time. If the treatment is done completely then I see no reasons for it to not be healed."

"We'll do whatever it takes," Anna said.

Dr Clarkson smiled. "Very well. We'll treat the infection first and monitor it," he stood up and went to the medicine cabinet, looking for something. "Medicine has evolved a lot since the war. We'll treat her with something new," he took a small box from the cabinet and handed it to Anna. "She must take one pill every day - since she's so young, it would be best if you could split it in a half, Mrs Bates. A half in the morning and another half after dinner."

"All right," Anna nodded promptly.

"If there is any kind of negative reaction, bring her here," the doctor said. "We'll do the treatment for a month. I'll want to see her in two weeks, if that's all right. We need to make sure there is some progression."

"Of course."

"The first box will be... Courtesy, so to speak," Dr Clarkson said, allowing himself to smile. "For the newest patient."

John smiled. She would be fine, surely - if Anna's determination was anything to go by, he had no doubt that some progression would have been done in a month's time.

* * *

><p>With the treatment, the first bouts of frustration came. Emily couldn't swallow the pills, and Anna would smash them into the porridge in the mornings, sometimes with a fruit. But it hardly worked, as Emily felt the medicine's taste and wouldn't want to eat anything else. The same happened every evening during or after dinner, and John was present at these moments every other day. Today would be the fifth evening with this ritual, and it didn't seem to be getting better. He had managed to get home for dinner, though he would have to go back to the Abbey soon, but Anna hoped he might be able to talk to Emily.<p>

"Emily, please, sweetheart," Anna asked once more, her patience slowly vanishing. "You must eat. How else will you grow up and be strong and healthy? Don't you want your leg to feel better?"

"But it tastes bad," Emily made a face. "I'm not hungwy."

"No, Emily," Anna took a deep breath and kept the little girl on her chair. "You won't leave the table until you eat it all. You must be hungry. You've barely eaten today."

"But I don't want to," Emily pouted, and John watched as Anna rose from the table.

"Emily," Anna said again, and John took a deep breath.

"I've an idea," he said, looking at Emily. "Why don't you and I go take a walk around for a bit?"

"John, you'll have to go back soon," Anna reminded him, but he shook his head.

"It'll be quick. I just want to show her the clearing, she hasn't seen it yet. So we can plan a picnic there soon. What do you say, Emily?"

Emily sighed and played with her fork silently for a moment.

"Can I?" she looked at Anna.

Anna let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "All right, but don't be too long. I don't want her out there in the dark, so try to bring her back before that."

"It won't be long. I just want to have a little talk with her," he winked at Anna. "Come on, darling."

Emily stretched her arms for him to get her, and he did so with a bit of a grunt. Anna looked at both of them worriedly, then hurried upstairs to get a coat for Emily, even though it wasn't too dark out yet. He promised her once more that they wouldn't take long; he suspected Anna had been dealing with this for too long to try to properly talk to Emily - he couldn't blame her. It had to be frustrating.

Emily had been silent throughout the short walk, settled in his arms. When they finally arrived to the clearing, he was glad it was still light enough for her to see the small river and the trees. She looked around curiously.

"Emily," John said carefully. "You know Mummy only wants you to feel better. You know that the medicine will make your leg not hurt. Don't you?"

Emily nodded, picking a flower from the tree.

"But it tastes bad," she complained again.

"Maybe it won't if you swallow it really quickly?" he suggested, hoping she would understand. "You want to run and not hurt your leg, don't you?"

Emily nodded silently.

"I know it doesn't taste good but," he took a deep breath, "I would eat all the bitter food in the world if it meant my leg wouldn't hurt anymore. You know my leg hurts, don't you?"

"Yes," Emily said. "But you can eat it too to get better, Daddy!"

John smiled at her innocence, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, I can't. Because my leg can't be fixed. But yours can, and that would make me very happy. Mummy too. Don't you like it when she's happy?"

Emily nodded solemnly. John smiled.

"Me too," he said. "Do you promise you'll try to eat more so you'll feel better?"

"And Mummy will be happy?" Emily asked with hope in her tone.

"Yes, she'll be very happy," he assured her. "Do you promise?"

Emily nodded, looking at the flower in her hands. "I pwomise."

"That's my girl," he kissed her hair. "We can come have a picnic here soon, don't you think?"

"A picnic?" Emily repeated slowly, frowning.

"Yes. We bring very nice food and eat on the ground. Maybe if we're lucky enough Mummy will let us put our feet in the water," John explained, and Emily looked up excitedly.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, happy with the idea.

He took them back soon, mindful of the time. Anna was waiting for them by the door, and Emily quickly called for her, and offered her the flower.

"I picked it for you, Mummy!"

Anna smiled, albeit tiredly, as she took the flower.

"Thank you, darling. I love it!" Anna said, and Emily smiled.

"I'm hungwy now, Mummy," she said pointedly, looking at John.

"Are you?" Anna asked in disbelief, throwing a questioning look at John. "Let's go back to the kitchen, then."

"I have to go," John told her, then turned to Emily. "Be good for Mummy, princess."

"I will!" Emily said as he put her down. She started walking to the kitchen the next minute.

"Save my plate for later," John said, kissing Anna's cheek.

"What did you tell her?" Anna asked curiously as he turned to walk away.

"Just the truth," he smiled.

Anna shook her head, and he chuckled when she jumped slightly at the sound of probably a fork falling from the table. They both laughed.

"I love you," she mouthed before closing the door.

A small battle was won.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** A new chapter for the weekend! Hope everyone likes it. We're nearing the end here... Would love to know your hopes for the next chapters! :) Thanks so much for reading and to everyone who has reviewed so far!

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><p><em>Chapter Nine<em>

"Are you sure this is the one you want?" Anna asked, but mainly out of habit. She had taken Emily shopping for clothes for the first time, and Emily had been absolutely ecstatic. After choosing a comfortable coat, Anna decided she could use a nice dress for this warm weather, and Emily had chosen a lovely red dress at that.

The little girl admired herself in the mirror as the saleswoman smiled.

"Yes, Mummy!" Emily said, completely sure of her decision.

"All right then, let's take it off," Anna laughed, approaching Emily, who simply stared at her.

"Why?" she asked inquisitively. The dress was a little bigger than it should be, but to Anna that only meant Emily would wear it longer.

"Because we haven't paid for it yet, and because I don't want you getting cake crumbles on it so soon," Anna explained with a smile, undoing the bow and unbuttoning it.

"Cake?" Emily asked interestedly, the dress long forgotten.

"Yes, we'll have tea and then go home," Anna told her. "How does that sound?"

Emily's squeal of delight was enough of a positive answer.

The treatment seemed to be going well, as the month progressed; they had just been to the hospital for Emily's appointment and Dr Clarkson was optimistic. His optimism made room for a talk about surgery soon, something Anna wasn't quite comfortable with. She had heard of too many cases where surgery went badly, and she did not want to even think about her daughter going through that. Still, if it would make her better – and if John agreed – it seemed like something they'd have to face, in time.

Anna held Emily's hand tightly as they walked through the village, Emily's plaits bouncing as she walked – already she was showing so much progress. Anna couldn't wait for the time to come where she would have to tell her to not run too fast, or to stay quiet – whilst Emily was a quiet child, she had a lot of energy, and Anna was sure the pain from her leg kept her from doing some things. Perhaps now it wasn't such a bother, as she didn't know many other children around, but once she started school in a few years that would surely change.

They had spent a lovely time at the tea shop, where Emily happily ate chocolate cake and a few biscuits, and Anna caught up in all the stories about Poppy that she had missed for the last few hours. Soon, however, it was time to go home, and that found them on their way to the Abbey.

They were walking slowly, as Emily insisted on walking for now – and she could be a stubborn little thing –, chatting about everything and nothing, when Anna heard voices from behind them and saw Mr Branson and Sybbie – she in his arms, and they were both laughing. Anna smiled as they approached them.

"Anna, hello," Mr Branson said, putting Sybbie on the ground, as she was clearly curious about Emily.

"Good afternoon, Mr Branson," Anna said politely. "This is Emily."

Emily clutched at Anna's skirts, shy from meeting new people and especially a child. Miss Sybbie was a little older, but not by much, and she was clearly her mother's child, the way she was smiling friendly at Emily.

"Say hello, darling," Anna insisted, and Emily looked at Mr Branson.

"Hello," Emily said timidly. Mr Branson smiled.

"She looks a lot like you," he commented, and they watched as Sybbie took Emily's hand and they walked over to a flower bush.

"So I've been told," Anna laughed. They started walking ahead.

"Mary told me about her. And Mr Bates also said she was a little gem," Mr Branson said. "I suppose you're adjusting well to her."

"Yes," Anna said, "it was a bit different at first but now I'm used to it. She's incredibly easy to care for, so that's quite fine. And Miss Sybbie has grown so much."

Mr Branson laughed. "Too much, if you ask me."

They spent the rest of the walk talking whilst the two little girls got to know each other. By the time they reached the gates and parted ways, Emily and Miss Sybbie had formed a friendship that could only happen as fast as it did when you're a child, and indeed the rest of the walk home was spent with many questions.

"Does she live in the castle, Mummy?" Emily asked curiously as they could see the Abbey from the distance.

"Yes, she does," Anna said, choosing the simplest answer.

"She said she doesn't have a mummy," Emily commented, deep in thought. "I got my mummy and my daddy in London. Maybe if she goes there she can find a mummy?"

Anna laughed then, thinking of the questions Miss Sybbie might be asking Mr Branson right in this very moment.

"Maybe, darling," Anna said as they turned down the road and saw the cottage. "There is our own castle."

Emily giggled. "Mummy, that's not a princess' castle!"

"Well, but you're our princess and that's our home," Anna offered, and Emily seemed to reconsider. "It's not very big but it's very good, don't you think?"

"Yes!" Emily said excitedly. "I love it!"

That was enough for now.

* * *

><p>Anna yawned loudly as she got into bed, and John chuckled, finding it incredibly endearing, however unladylike she sounded. She glared playfully at him as she lay down, snuggling in bed, though John still read his book. When he heard her sigh for the third time in a row he decided it was best to close it and blow out the candle. Anna had both her arms rested on the pillow, completely relaxed. Her eyes were already closed, but he knew she wasn't asleep.<p>

"So how was your day?" he asked quietly, settling down beside her. "I've heard Emily's version, of course."

Anna laughed, but her eyes remained closed. "Exhausting. We did an awful lot of walking and I carried her around for a bit. I must be getting old."

He kissed her wrist slowly. "Never."

Her eyes shot open then. "You may think," she teased, shaking her head. She took a deep breath. "Dr Clarkson says Emily will need surgery soon. We have our savings, right? Do you think it would be enough for that?"

John nodded. "More than enough. I don't think that will be an issue. From what he said last time, it's a simple surgery."

"Still a surgery, nonetheless."

"Indeed," John said, getting comfortable and hugging Anna's middle, snuggling to her side. "We'll think about that when the time comes. Don't worry too much."

"I'll try," Anna said, closing her eyes once more.

He knew she would, and he also knew she would fail. It was a real possibility, however, one they would have to endure very soon, he was sure. Still, if it would make Emily better, they had to do it. The treatment seemed to be doing well and she hadn't experienced any fever or other symptoms since she started taking the medicine. Now it was only a matter of time for them to see her completely well.

"I've written back to Mr Carter," John commented, "and told them we would wait for a better offer on the London house. If they reach the price we want, we'll accept it – do you agree?"

It took Anna a second to answer. "Right. Yes, that seems sensible."

"We don't need the money now, and we can wait a little longer," John sighed. "I suppose we could perhaps look into some hotel prices nearby, just to know how much we're dealing with. And we'll want to stay nearby, especially with Emily now. It'd be good to have our friends with us. At any rate, she's only now getting used to the cottage. We shouldn't move just yet, at least."

But this time, Anna did not answer. John's lips formed into a smile as he noticed her deep breathing, her relaxed expression. She truly was exhausted – no doubt a result of Emily waking up in a very good, energetic mood. John brushed his lips against her cheek and closed his eyes as well, breathing in her scent and deciding this conversation could wait a few more days.

* * *

><p>Anna and Emily's laughter filled his ears, and he watched them as they dipped their feet into the water, clearly making the most of such a warm day. He still sat in the shade, eating an apple – it had been a while since he had felt quite this content. Emily giggled heartily when Anna splashed some water in her direction – just enough to make her do the same to Anna. They looked a mighty picture - Anna wearing a blue dress that looked ever so well on her, and Emily with her new favourite pale pink dress, both with such lovely smiles on their faces. His wife's hand supported the little girl quite steadily, as it had done his own for so many years, and he sighed, hoping that soon this would change for Emily.<p>

Her surgery would take place next Monday, just a few days away, and that alone had been enough to put Anna on edge – much as she knew it was necessary, the risks spoke on a higher note to her, and he understood too – but this was the chance they had, and they had to take it.

Emily laughed loudly again, and he watched Anna lift her in the air – Emily wasn't quite so light, but he trusted Anna. Soon enough, they were back at the blanket, and Emily lay down beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

The picnic had been his idea – it was his half day off, and Anna needed some distracting. Emily had been curious and excited the whole time – having never been to a picnic before, it was clear for anyone to see that she loved it all. She giggled and giggled when John tickled her tummy, and when Anna offered her some grapes, she merely opened her mouth.

"Oh, that's how you want it, mademoiselle?" Anna asked jokingly. "You really are getting used to having your own way, young lady."

Emily only laughed, closing her eyes, and waited for the grapes to reach her mouth. And they did, rightly so. Soon enough, however, the little girl fell asleep, and Anna fixed everything back into the basket. She sat rummaging through it for a while longer when John spoke.

"Come here, lie with us," he asked. "No need to fuss now."

"I wasn't fussing," she retorted, but slipped beside him, on his free side. She smoothed Emily's hair, splayed all over John's chest, in a loving way and looked up at him, running a hand through his own hair. "What were you brooding about?"

"I wasn't brooding," he said, and he was met with her sceptical glance. "I mean it. I was just thinking about how you've made me happy. How you both have made me happy."

"At last, I suppose," Anna sighed. "It took us so much to get here."

"Not at last. Always," he corrected her. "It did take us a lot to get here, but here we are. And even in the bad moments, you made me very happy. I don't remember being unhappy with you by my side."

"That seems entirely too deep for a quiet afternoon," she chuckled, settling on his shoulder.

John kissed her knuckles. "No, it doesn't."

Anna let out a somewhat shaky breath.

"Are you alright?" he asked her worriedly.

Anna nodded against his neck. "Yes, just fine. Just… anxious. Nervous. About Monday, and how it'll go. About her recovery and everything else."

"It'll be fine, you'll see," he kissed her hair. "You know Dr Clarkson is hopeful."

"I know," Anna sighed, and he could tell she had closed her eyes too. Emily still slept soundly, completely unbothered by their talking. "But Dr Clarkson has been wrong before."

"You can't think like that," John tried to reassure her. "We must trust him. He might be able to fix what we can't."

"I know that, but," Anna's voice faltered, "it's not that simple. We must trust him with our biggest treasure – I'm quite sure I won't be able to sleep a wink the next few nights."

"Then we'll have to think of something to keep us awake," he whispered in her ear, and Anna smacked his arm playfully. "It'll be fine, you'll see. She's a little fighter, our Emily."

He felt Anna's smile against his skin and her kiss against his neck; indeed, he hadn't been this content in a while – with both his girls around him, enjoying a lovely summer afternoon. Perhaps this would serve to make the future only better – and this time, he had big hopes that it would.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** A very eventful chapter to go with Christmas! Thanks so much for all the reviews (will reply to them all soon!) and readers! This isn't a Christmas chapter, I'm afraid, but hopefully it'll make up for it. Merry Christmas!

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><p><em>Chapter Ten<em>

The waiting had been excruciating. Anna couldn't remember feeling so anxious in her life, and she had quite a few moments to compare that with. John had tried to calm her down, but eventually even he stopped and let her be. She was a mother – of course she worried. She worried that the surgery might not go well, that something terrible would happen to her little girl, that the surgery would have been in vain. At some point, she felt as if she would be sick, but before that happened Dr Clarkson appeared.

And never in her life had a smile been more relieving.

"It all went very well. We were able to take the dead tissue out," he explained, and Anna clutched John's hand tightly. "She's still sleeping and she won't have a scar bigger than the one she has now. The injury had been completely clean of infections – now we'll just hope it'll continue that way."

"So she's fine?" Anna asked, bringing a hand to her heart.

Dr Clarkson nodded. "She's perfectly fine, Mrs Bates. You have a very brave little girl on your hands."

"When can we see her?" John asked, Anna still holding his hand.

"It shouldn't take too long. A nurse will let you in," the doctor said. "Be careful of your hands. Nothing is too much when it comes to avoiding an infection. She might be in some pain when she wakes up but we'll do something about that soon."

They both nodded, and sat back down, much more relieved than before. John kissed her temple, and she heard him let out a deep breath. He too had been worried, of course. Now they only had to pray for a fast recovery.

Before long, they were taken to her bed. She was a little pale, Anna soon decided, but looked otherwise fine. Anna clutched Poppy to her chest and stroked Emily's hair softly; she could almost hear the gentle snores. Her little leg was covered in bandages but everything else was just fine. She was even wearing her favourite nightdress, the pale pink one that came from Miss Sybbie – she might as well have been in her own bed, in their little cottage. But she looked even smaller in the plain white hospital bed.

Anna supposed she couldn't really understand what happened – she was only three years old, far too young to have to go through this. Even though they explained it all to her before the surgery, she couldn't really comprehend it all. Still, it was still better to do this sooner rather than later.

John grabbed a chair for Anna, and even when she insisted that he sit down, he wouldn't. Stubborn man; but she couldn't get enough of the love she could see in his eyes whenever he looked at Emily.

"We never thought it would be easy, did we?" he asked her jokingly after a few minutes, his hand resting carefully on her shoulder.

Anna covered his hand with her and looked up at him. "No. But it makes it all worth it, doesn't it? To see her so peaceful."

"She'll undoubtedly be telling Poppy all kinds of adventures she dreamed today," John said.

"Probably," Anna laughed.

"I know I hadn't been very open to the idea of adoption before," John commented, and Anna frowned at his choice of subject. "But I feel as if she truly is half of us. I think she really is. I forget that we didn't always have her in our life."

Anna sighed. "I do too. I like to think she was made just for us," she chuckled. "As if she were a part of us. And she truly is now."

Before Anna could continue, however, Emily's eyes fluttered and opened very slowly. John was at her side instantly, and Anna stood up. Their little girl looked up sleepily at them.

"Mummy?" she asked, her voice small. Then she looked at John. "Good morning, Daddy."

It was mid-afternoon, but they laughed all the same, and tears filled Anna's eyes.

"Good morning, my darling," Anna said tearfully, smoothing the little girl's blonde hair. "How are you feeling?"

Emily frowned. "My leg is itching, Mummy."

"Itching?" Anna repeated, sharing a look with John. "That's all right, sweetheart. The doctor will be here soon. Do you feel anything else?"

Emily shook her head, and let out a yawn. "I was good, Daddy?"

John nodded at her, and Anna saw a trace of tears in his eyes as well. "You were, princess. You were the best."

And she really was.

* * *

><p>Emily was thriving; every day Anna applied the salve Dr Clarkson had prescribed and every day Emily took all her medicines. After a week, she was allowed to walk again, and she tried her first steps at the doctor's office, with much success. No signs of infection ever appeared, thankfully to Anna's careful hands and the way she doted on their daughter. John had always known she had been born to be a mother, but with Emily it only became even more apparent. The little girl had only been a little more whiny than usual, but both parents took that as a good sign - it was only natural for her to want Mummy and Daddy close after surgery.<p>

On the second week of her recovery, he found them in the kitchen, where Anna was preparing them some cocoa. Emily was already in her nightclothes, and he could instantly smell Anna's perfume on her – no doubt she had been up to mischief. He entered the room slowly, mindful of what he was carrying with him.

"Daddy!" Emily said as soon as she saw him, and made to leave the chair, but Anna spoke before she had the chance to do that.

"Emily Grace Bates! You will stay right where you are," Anna quickly said, walking towards John. "You need to be careful of your little leg, darling, you know that. Look how much you've improved… John? What have you got there?"

John smiled brightly at this, and Emily looked curiously at him. He wasn't sure how much Anna would love this, but he was absolutely sure Emily would go insane.

"Now," John started, slowly crouching down, "I brought this home but we'll only keep it if Mummy lets us. All right, Emily?"

The little girl's eyes shone. And then he carefully took the kitten out of his jacket – he suspected the little thing had been even able to fall asleep in it, small as it was. Emily squealed happily, clapping her hands, and Anna didn't scold her when she left her seat this time around, quickly reaching the kitten. The pet was small, covered in brown fur, and went willingly to the little girl's arms, meowing happily.

"It's so little, Daddy!" Emily said.

"He's still a baby, darling," John explained, then looked at Anna. "You know the cat had kittens and I thought I'd try out my luck here. What do you say?"

Anna pursed her lips, then looked at Emily who was already sat on the floor with the kitten on her lap.

"Mummy, please! Can we keep him?" Emily pleaded, and squealed when John caught her in his arms. She giggled loudly.

"Please, Mummy!" John asked playfully, as Emily and the kitten were held by him. Anna rolled her eyes but nodded.

"All right. But I don't want him on any beds," she warned, then looked at the little girl.

"Yes!" Emily celebrated, hugging the kitten as John put her on the floor.

"Is that kitten all cleaned up? I don't want her risking anything," Anna said worryingly.

John nodded. "I gave him a bath that he did not like before bringing him here. Come on, Anna. She once told us she wanted a bunny – those are a bit harder to clean after. This is the next best choice."

Anna pouted, but smiled when she saw the little girl holding the small cat.

"All right. But I'll forgive you after you've properly greeted me with a kiss," Anna teased him.

He was only too happy to oblige.

* * *

><p>Anna stifled a yawn as she watched Dr Clarkson examine Emily's leg. The little girl was sitting very quietly on the chair, and gave Anna a look filled with mischief; she was clearly recovering just fine. Nearly a month after the operation, Emily already walked normally and the only thing they had to be sure about was that her injury was indeed free of infections. When Dr Clarkson looked at Anna, he nodded, clearly satisfied with the results.<p>

"Perfectly fine, Mrs Bates," the doctor said, looking at Emily. "In fact, I think we can even take the bandage off now. Time for this little lady to be able to play and run."

"Did you hear, Mummy?" Emily asked excitedly.

Anna chuckled. "I did, sweetheart. Isn't that marvellous?"

Emily nodded, watching as the doctor carefully took the bandages off the injury. It wasn't looking too bad, Anna thought, though she was used to changing the bandages every day. Since Emily arrived, it had never looked as healed as it did now. She would be fine. She would finally be fine.

When Anna stood up to bid the doctor goodbye, she was overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness, and she leaned against the back of the chair, with Emily's hand clutching hers. Dr Clarkson eyed her worriedly.

"I'm sorry," Anna started, reassuring Emily with a smile, as the little girl had a frown on her face. "I think it was the excitement from the news."

Emily smiled, as this explanation seemed to be enough for her, but Dr Clarkson remained frowning.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "You do look a little pale, Mrs Bates, if I may say so."

Anna shrugged. "No, I'm fine. I'm afraid that the last few weeks have been a little too overwhelming for us all."

"Of course. But it would make me feel better if I could examine you," Dr Clarkson insisted. "Just in case. And we better be sure it's nothing that can be passed on to Miss Bates."

This seemed to do the trick. Anna looked at Emily. "Right. Well, I suppose it won't hurt to see if everything's all right."

She gave Emily a reassuring smile, and took her place at the bed, where Emily had been sitting. The little girl stood beside Anna, jumping slightly. She giggled as the doctor grabbed the stethoscope.

"Who is Miss Bates, Mummy?" Emily asked curiously.

Anna laughed, and even Dr Clarkson chuckled. "You are, sweetheart."

"And Daddy is Mr Bates!" Emily exclaimed, and Anna noticed how the tilt in her accent was slowly becoming more like Yorkshire than London.

"He is," Anna nodded. "Darling, why don't you go sit over there while Dr Clarkson examines Mummy? Just for a moment."

Emily nodded and sat on the chair happily, just a few feet from them. Anna was skeptical about it all, but took deep breaths and answered all the doctor's questions. After he took out her pressure and they realised she was fine, he asked if she had experienced anything else lately.

"I've just been a little exhausted," Anna told him as she lay down on the bed as the doctor asked. "Which is expected after Emily's surgery. Besides that, I feel completely fine."

"May I, Mrs Bates?" Dr Clarkson asked, indicating her stomach. Anna nodded. His hands pressed against her lower belly instead, and Anna frowned. She looked at Emily, who was bouncing her little legs up and down, distractedly staring out the window. Dr Clarkson did the same. "Mrs Bates, is there a chance you might be pregnant?"

Anna frowned, taken aback by the question. "I... I don't think so. I didn't think I could... I mean, I didn't think it was possible for me to get pregnant."

"So you could be pregnant," Dr Clarkson said. It wasn't a question, but Anna confirmed it anyway.

"I... I suppose so," Anna answered weakly.

"Have you been experiencing nausea? Or dizziness, not only today?" Dr Clarkson said, nodding to himself.

"I... Sometimes, in the mornings," Anna admitted. "But nothing that is worrying."

"I'd like to examine you further, Mrs Bates, just to be sure," the doctor said. Anna remained still. Just to be sure? Did he really think she was pregnant? "I'll call a nurse to look after Emily, but it won't take more than two minutes."

Anna could only nod.

* * *

><p>John had barely opened the door when Emily crashed against his legs, clearly excited to see him. He took her into his arms before he had even taken his hat off, but he was only glad to do so.<p>

"Hello, poppet," he said, kissing her cheek. "Should you be running like this?"

"Yes!" Emily exclaimed, putting her hands up in the air. "I'm all good, Daddy!"

John chuckled, entering the parlour to find Anna sitting there, a book in her hands. She smiled.

"Emily, let Daddy at least take off his hat," Anna said humorously, but John sat down and the little girl snuggled on his lap. He took off his hat only to put it on Emily's head. It looked entirely too big, but she giggled anyway.

"We made biscuits!" she told him happily. "And Slipper spilled a lot of milk on the floor!"

"Did he now?" John asked, cringing slightly at the kitten's newest development, thinking that Anna couldn't have been too happy. The kitten wasn't particularly messy so far, but he did like to sleep most of the time, and he usually chose one of their slippers to sleep in, which was how John started calling him as no one could come up with a name. Indeed, the cat was hidden inside Emily's little slippers in the middle of the floor.

Anna, however, remained quiet, merely smiling as Emily recounted their day.

"Mrs 'Ughes said I am bigger, Daddy!" Emily said proudly. "And the doctor said I can run around! Then he was looking at Mummy's belly but he said she was all right."

John frowned, looking at Anna. "What?"

Anna's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came of it. She looked at Emily.

"Sweetheart, why don't you go brush your teeth and get ready for bed? It's late," she suggested, and Emily's shoulders fell slightly. "Daddy can read you a story before bed. Right, Daddy?"

John nodded. "Of course."

"I'll be really quick, Daddy!" Emily said, leaving his hat on the settee and running to the washroom.

Anna chuckled, but John remained serious. They waited until Emily couldn't be seen to talk again. His mind was spiralling already - could Anna be ill?

"What is it, Anna?" he said, moving from his chair to the settee, to sit beside her. Anna closed the book.

"I had a dizzy spell, at the hospital, when Emily and I were leaving," she spoke quietly, taking his hand. "Dr Clarkson insisted to examine me, just in case. But as it turns out, I'm... I'm pregnant."

To say that her words surprised him would be an understatement; he failed to say anything for a few seconds. Anna was pregnant. After so many years, she was pregnant. But how? They hadn't done anything differently. She was pregnant. His beautiful wife was pregnant.

"That is... Fantastic. Oh, my love," John said, taking in her nervous eyes and pale complexion. No wonder she was so tired lately. He kissed her lips fully. Anna let out a teary laugh. "Are you well? How... How did this happen? After so many years?"

Anna chuckled. "I'm well. And you know how this happened," she teased him, and John kissed her one more time, just because. "I'm around four months along. The baby should be with us by January."

John laughed in disbelief. A baby. But something else struck him.

"Four months?" he repeated. "That's around the time we got Emily."

Anna nodded. "I know. She's brought even more blessings than we thought."

John nodded, completely agreeing. They heard a noise from the washroom. "Does she know yet?"

Anna shook her head. "I thought we could do it together. Oh, John, she'll be so excited."

John chuckled, but before they could speak again a loud noise startled them.

"Mummy?" Emily's loud voice interrupted them, and they both laughed.

"I best check what she's up to," Anna shook her head, standing up. Before she let his hand go, he pulled her to him and kissed her lips soundly.

"I love you," he said quickly.

Anna smiled. "I love you too."

He watched her as she disappeared into the narrow corridor, desperately trying to notice anything different about her, but he found nothing - only happiness.

He leaned back against the settee, letting out a sigh.

Another child. Things couldn't be more perfect than that.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Our penultimate chapter! I'll miss this little story - hopefully you'll find this enjoyable. Let me know what you think! Thanks so much for all the reviews!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Eleven<em>

The baby was quite restless today, and Anna felt exhausted enough to stop her chores and sit in the parlour with Emily before luncheon. She could feel the now familiar bubbling of the baby moving around, though she had tried to get John to notice it and he simply couldn't feel it yet; perhaps in a few days. Dr Clarkson still examined her often and he was certain that the pregnancy was progressing well, and Anna herself was past the point of being sick and feeling nauseous, though it still happened every now and then, by a few specific smells, mostly. She found that she couldn't stand garlic any longer, and she was glad John didn't drink coffee often because the few times she smelled it at Downton weren't pleasant at all.

Now, she read peacefully, and Emily played with Poppy and Slipper on the floor, making funny voices and often having to fun after the kitten so the poor thing wouldn't escape from her reach. That was exactly what was happening now - Emily reached for Slipper's tail to bring him close to her, and the kitten meowed unhappily, but he was far too used to Emily by now.

"Mummy?" Emily asked just as Anna let out a chuckle at the kitten, who was now accepting the little girl's petting.

"Yes, darling?" Anna said promptly, and noticed how her daughter was frowning, as if trying very hard to think about what to say.

"Is the baby coming soon?" she asked.

Anna smiled; Emily had asked this question at least half a dozen times since they told her she would be a big sister.

"We still have a few months to go, sweetheart. Remember when we told you that a few days ago?" Anna explained patiently.

"But it's been so long!" Emily exclaimed, visibly frustrated. Anna tried very hard to remain serious. "Can we get a baby in London? There were some there, I remember."

That was a new development, and Anna took a deep breath. "Well, darling, you know the baby is inside Mummy's tummy, right?" Emily nodded dutifully. "Well, the baby needs more time to grow and be healthy to meet us."

Emily frowned. "But babies are so small, Mummy."

Anna couldn't help but let out a laugh at this. "They are, but I couldn't fit a baby, could I? I'll need to be very big and then the baby will be born."

"Big like Daddy?" Emily's eyes widened.

Anna chuckled. "Well, just around the belly," Emily let out a giggle, "and bigger than that, even. So it'll take a little while. Are you excited?"

Emily nodded. "I am. Daddy said I can teach the baby lots of things."

"Yes, you can. That's what big sisters do," Anna smiled, feeling the familiar thud against her skin - it was almost as if the baby knew they were being talked about. "Would you like a brother or a sister?"

Emily smiled brightly. "A brother and a sister, Mummy!"

Anna laughed heartily. "Well, that might take more time, then. But you'll get a brother or a sister soon."

"Good," Emily said quietly, slipping off the settee, and went back to the floor to get Poppy.

Anna smiled, watching their little girl. She had certainly been excited at the news, and her innocent happiness was the most precious thing.

"Mummy, can we get Slipper a brother and a sister too?" she asked interestedly, and Anna's eyes widened slightly at the prospect of even more cats around the house.

Oh, who knew what the future would bring? If Emily asked John he probably wouldn't deny her.

* * *

><p>Emily was running happily against the wind, a little too close to the beach for Anna's liking, but since John was walking beside her, she tried not to worry too much. His steps were a little more cautious - it was interesting how Emily had thrown caution to the wind after Dr Clarkson confirmed she was completely fine. All was as it should be now - she was a child, still so small, and she should be able to run about as much as she wanted - well, not inside the cottage, though, thought Anna.<p>

It was a pleasure to see them this way; this would be Emily's first time at the beach, and she was completely enchanted by it. They were now collecting seashells, and Anna could hear Emily's giggle from the distance. She smiled.

Leaning back against her chair, Anna took a deep breath, her hand covering her expanding belly - the baby was definitely making sure everyone could see it. Emily was still slightly disappointed that they would have to wait for the baby, but she was thriving at the prospect of being an older sister.

Emily started walking towards the sea, but John took her hand before she went too far from him. He threw her a smile over his shoulder; despite the weather having cooled down considerably last week, there were quite a few tourists out and about, enjoying the sea, even. She was tempted to just put her feet in the water, but she hadn't made up her mind yet. And as John insisted that she should rest, that was exactly what she was doing.

She let out a sigh. She had the feeling that when the baby came and they visited Scarborough once more, Emily and John would be doing just what they were doing, and she would be holding the baby, watching them.

She couldn't wait.

Anna waved as Emily called for her, showing her a rather large seashell, waving it for her to see. The bow Anna had arranged so carefully on her head was completely dishevelled, and her pale blue dress was crinkled, but Anna let her be. Before long Emily was running towards her, seashells in hand, and putting it all on display for her on the sand.

"Look, Mummy!" Emily said excitedly, then picking the larger one to put on her ear. "Daddy said I can listen to the sea with this one!"

"I'm sure you can," Anna said patiently.

"Maybe if I put it on your tummy the baby will listen too?" Emily offered.

"Well, we can try it at home. What do you think?"

"So I can take these home with me?" the little girl asked hopefully.

Anna laughed. "Not all of them, sweetheart, but you can pick two. A little one and a bigger one. How does that sound?"

"I want this one," Emily quickly chose the biggest one of them all, then tapped her chin thoughtfully. She pointed to a smaller, yellow shell. "And this one. Mummy, can I have a penny lick? Please?"

"Easy there, darling," John said as he approached them finally. He looked at Anna. "Everything all right?"

"Yes, perfectly," Anna smiled. "You can have a penny lick. Mummy craves one too."

"We can go to the sea and then buy them!" Emily offered.

John laughed as he sat down; Anna rather liked how relaxed he looked. His sleeves were rolled up and his feet were bare, something she wasn't used to seeing outside of their home.

"But we just went to the sea, Emily," he said.

"I want to go again. I love it!"

Emily's pleas were heard soon enough, and Anna took it upon herself to be brave enough to face the cold water. She held her skirt as they walked, keeping Emily's hand in hers, and squealed slightly when they reached the water, which only made the little girl giggle. It was then that the familiar feeling built up in her, and she gasped slightly.

"Is it the baby, Mummy?" Emily asked, already knowing what to expect. Anna nodded. "The baby likes the beach!"

Anna laughed. "I think so, darling. Just like you do."

Emily walked beside her as they grew accustomed to the water, and Anna waved at John as they grew distant. She could feel his eyes on them the whole time, and Anna realised she wouldn't mind a little bit of this every day.

Perhaps they could make it work.

* * *

><p>John found Anna and Emily in bed when he came home later in the evening; he had heard their giggles from the door, and was sure they were up to something. He nearly tripped on Slipper on his way upstairs, as the cat had decided to hide in Emily's little shoe that had been discarded in the small corridor, and indeed there they were - Anna tickling Emily, the little girl squirming under her mother's hand.<p>

"And what are the most beautiful girls in the world doing in my bedroom?" John asked jokingly, surprising them both, and Emily squealed.

"Daddy!"

"What are you still doing awake, princess?" John asked inquisitively, and Anna smiled.

"Someone is eager to wait for Father Christmas," she said, sitting up with some difficulty, her large belly making it hard for her to move. The baby would be born soon enough, and though Anna complained about her clothes and how hard it was to move, he was quite sure she had never been so beautiful.

It seemed very odd that this would be Emily's first Christmas with them; in reality, it seemed like she had been around for much longer than that. Buying her presents had been a gift in itself - she had asked for the strangest things, such as snow and shooting stars, which were quite out of their control. In the end they had settled for some new books and a new doll, something that they knew she would enjoy.

"Is she, now?" John asked, sitting on the bed and giving them both kisses.

"The baby too!" Emily said, resting her little hands on top of Anna's stomach. "She is excited!"

John laughed. "She?"

"It's a girl," Emily told him matter-of-factly as he took his tie and vest off.

"And we haven't chosen any girl names yet," John looked pointedly at Anna; his wife seemed quite sure that it would be a boy, and they had already chosen a boy name. John looked at Emily. "Any suggestions?"

"Emily!" the little girl blurted out, causing John and Anna to laugh.

"We'll add that to the list," John said, kissing the top of her head. "And you know what, princess?"

Emily propped up on her elbows and looked at him with curiosity.

"What?"

He leaned towards her, and her eyes shone in excitement. "It's snowing."

He spoke in a conspiratory tone, and Emily's eyes widened as she squealed, suddenly getting out of bed and running to the window - which she was quite too small to reach.

Anna let out a hearty laugh as John stood up to lift Emily up. It wasn't snowing too much, but just enough that he thought it might go on all night. No wonder it was freezing out, and he thought it was rather fitting that it snowed on Christmas Eve. Surely they could expect a magical Christmas this year.

"It's so pwetty!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands. "Can we go there?"

"Not a chance, young lady," Anna said as she got up, and he knew she was just as excited to see the snow. "It's too cold for you out there. But we'll see it in the morning. All right?"

"Will it still be there?" Emily asked him.

John nodded. "I think so. It's a Christmas miracle," he said, winking slightly at Anna. Emily bounced her legs excitedly.

"We can build a snowman!" Emily squealed.

John laughed. "If there's enough snow for that, we will, darling."

"And make a snow house!" Emily said brightly, and Anna let out a laugh.

"I think that's quite enough, my angel," Anna said, taking her from John and putting her in bed again. "Come here, let's warm up while Daddy gets ready for bed. Will you keep Mummy warm?"

"I will, Mummy," Emily said dutifully, quickly snuggling beneath the blankets with Anna.

He excused himself and got ready for bed, leaving his girls be for now. No doubt they would have to put her to bed soon, if he wanted to put her presents under the tree before bed. He was quite sure she would be very excited about them this year, as she had quite a few gifts from their friends, and they knew she didn't get much while she had been at the orphanage.

Before long, he was back upstairs, and caught Emily kissing Anna's belly before he managed to get her to bed, wrapped in his own robe. She really was very excited about the baby - perhaps even more than he and Anna. She would tell anyone and everyone that she would have a brother or a sister, though lately she seemed to leaning towards the sister side. Whilst Anna had a feeling it would be a boy, he thought they would have a girl - much to Emily's excitement. Well, they would have to wait and see.

He snuggled her in bed just the way she liked it, giggling in excitement any time he mentioned Father Christmas. John read Emily her favourite Peter Rabbit book, and she was asleep by the time he finished it, snuggling into bed with Poppy. They had yet to figure out a way to put the baby's cot here once it was old enough - Emily's bedroom would be rather tight with another item of furniture - one more thing they ought to think about. Or perhaps it wouldn't become necessary.

They had sold the London house just a few days ago, which meant they could go on and follow the plan they had wanted to for so long. Still, this time, Anna was hesitant - she did not want to leave Downton before giving birth, and he knew they would need to adjust to a new baby in the house. Perhaps moving would take another few months - he agreed that they should stay at Downton for the time being. But perhaps they could start looking soon enough.

John leaned against the doorway of his bedroom, watching as Anna stroked her belly mindlessly. He entered the room slowly.

"Is she asleep?" Anna asked him.

He nodded, climbing into bed. "Gone for the night, probably. If this one is anything like her we'll be lucky."

"Aren't you going to put her presents under the tree?" Anna asked.

John yawned. "I'll do that later. I'd rather snuggle with you now," he said, nuzzling her neck. "Next Christmas the baby will be with us. How will we cope with a baby and a little girl?"

She chuckled. "It'll certainly be an adventure."

"Last Christmas I was quite sure you would be pregnant," he kissed the hollow of her throat. "I was right."

Anna laughed. "Yes, but did you think we would have our three years old daughter sleeping across the hall?"

"No," he admitted, "but that only makes everything better."

He took a deep breath. Anna turned to look at him. "It does."

He could feel their baby kicking beneath his palm, definitely awake for the night, and Anna kissed him deeply. Next Christmas would surely be different. He could hardly wait.

His hand ventured lower, and he was quite surprised when he felt Anna's hand taking his away. She kissed his lips again.

"Go deal with her presents," Anna whispered. "When you're done I'll want you here. We'll make good use of a night where we can wake naturally the following morning."

He threw her a lopsided grin, feeling very content with this deal indeed. He would definitely make the most of his Christmas at home. With one more kiss filled with promises, he went about putting Emily's presents under the tree - but not before checking if she was fast asleep, of course - for more than one reason.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** The end of our journey! And hopefully one that everyone will enjoy. Much thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favorited the story, and much much thanks to HWW who kindly let me write her original idea for this, and Terrie for editing. I enjoyed writing this little story very much and I hope everyone has enjoyed reading it as well. But now... One more chapter so we can see how life has treated Mr and Mrs Bates - and their new additions!

* * *

><p><em>Chapter Twelve<em>

Ten little fingers and ten little toes. A button nose that she had a feeling would take after hers, and pouty lips that were entirely too adorable. Anna was completely mesmerised – she was sure she could stare at the baby all day. Her eyes opened to reveal the lightest blue, also so much like her own, but the little hair she had was very dark. She was here, and they already loved her so, so much – John had been so anxious upon seeing her, but the minute he looked at the baby, Anna felt a flutter in her stomach. She had only seen that look on his face once, and it was when they first brought Emily home. She could see him falling in love with their baby girl right in front of her eyes, and when he had joked that he had been blessed with many girls to love – Anna couldn't mind sharing.

There was, however, one other person to meet the baby, and Anna felt slightly anxious to see Emily's reaction to her little sister. She had heard way too many stories about jealousy between siblings, and she only had to look at the Crawley girls to know it was so, though it was never something she had experienced personally. Though their little girl had always been very happy about the baby, sometimes even more anxious than they were, Anna knew that the real challenge would start now.

The baby yawned, her little fist holding Anna's little finger tightly, her eyes examining her with interest.

"We are so very happy that you're here, my angel," Anna whispered. The labour had taken well over a day, and she was thoroughly exhausted – but she couldn't even think about sleep yet. Mrs Hughes had been with her through it all and only left when the room had been cleaned and the sheets changed. Finally, at nearly ten in the morning, the baby was born; she was apparently very unhappy to be out here, and was only quietened when Anna spoke to her. But she was perfect, in every sense of the word, and Anna couldn't feel have felt more blessed.

The door creaked slightly, and Anna looked up to see John carrying a very anxious Emily into the bedroom. Their little girl's eyes were wide as she took in the sight of her mummy and the baby, but it was clear she was very much curious.

"Someone is very eager to meet the baby," John announced, and Anna patted the bed beside her, John's side of the bed, for them.

"Come here, my darling," Anna asked, and John put Emily down on the bed. The little girl scooted closer until she could see the baby, and Anna watched as her mouth opened awe. "This is your little sister, Charlotte."

Emily's eyes darted from the baby to Anna. "A sister?"

Anna nodded, taking her little finger from Charlotte's fist and Emily tentatively took her place. When the baby held her tiny finger, Emily giggled, looking from Anna to John, who was now sat on the bed next to the little girl.

"She's strong!" Emily exclaimed, and the baby wiggled a little. "Oh, I love her, Mummy."

Anna's breath caught in her throat at Emily's words, and she looked from her girls to John, who was watching the scene with so much love in his eyes she felt rather overwhelmed. In a way, she thought Charlotte wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the joy Emily brought into their lives, and she truly couldn't remember being as happy as in this moment.

"Mummy, are you crying?" Emily's voice shook her up, and she smiled.

"Mummy is just so very happy to have you and your sister," Anna sniffed, hardly believing in her own words. She kissed Emily's hair and the baby's forehead. "And Daddy, of course," she exchanged a smile with John. "Would you like to hold her for a moment, my darling?"

Emily's eyes widened. "Can I?"

John chuckled. "Of course, but you have to be very careful," he warned her, motioning Emily to sit upright and the little girl did so. Anna passed the baby carefully to her, placing her on Emily's lap, and John supported Charlotte's head and helped Emily hold her properly. Whilst Emily was a little clumsy, she was extremely delicate with Charlotte, and the baby merely grunted at being moved, soon settling down.

"Hi Charlotte," she said very slowly, bring her hand slowly to caress the baby's hair. Charlotte flailed her arms a little. Emily grinned at John, then Anna. "I think she likes me!"

John's free hand found Anna's on Emily's lap, inches from the newest addition to their family.

"She loves you, darling," John said, looking at his girls. "Just like we do."

* * *

><p>John touched Anna's waist softly, careful not to startle her, and he kissed her neck slowly. Anna only hummed against him, her hands stilling for just a moment as she washed the dishes. They had had quite an eventful day, what with organising a small birthday party for Emily – her first with them, which was special enough for them as well. It was attended by a small number of the servants, as well as the two young grandchildren of the Tripps', who had become Emily's playmates when they were around.<p>

Emily had been overjoyed by the presents and the cake Daisy had prepared especially for her, as well as a few candy dishes Anna prepared. As a result, the little girl had been extremely excited throughout the day, though the evening found her very much exhausted. Anna had bathed her whilst John looked after Charlotte, and he entertained them both while Anna had to finish cleaning everything, though Miss Baxter and Mrs Hughes had done most of it already.

"John, please, you know I need to finish this," Anna asked with a laugh, and John kissed her cheek once more before letting go of her. "How are the girls?"

"Just fine. Emily was drawing and making faces at Lottie," he smiled, taking a table cloth to help her dry the dishes. "She won't be able to keep up much longer, the day she had."

"Them both, you mean. Too much excitement for such young creatures," Anna laughed. "I think Emily had fun. I hope it was a nice birthday for her."

"I'm sure it was. She was very happy," he assured her, knowing Anna worried about these things. He doubted there was anything special for her at the orphanage, and he was quite sure these memories would soon be forgotten, what with Emily being so young when they got her. "And Lottie should have one more feeding tonight and that's it."

Anna looked at him with a suspicious glance as she turned off the tap and grinned at him. "Where are you going with that, Mr Bates?"

"Nowhere," he said, perhaps too quickly, but he couldn't help but grin. "You know we have yet to celebrate ourselves."

"I do know that," Anna leaned against the counter. "It's not every day that my husband gets to buy us a hotel."

"That was yesterday," he reminded her with a grin, leaving the cloth on the counter and slipping his arms around his wife.

Anna kissed the hollow of his throat. "I know. But Lottie kept waking up and then Emily surprised us…"

"And we should be glad she did that then, and not a few minutes later," he whispered, kissing her lips slowly. Anna smiled against him.

"You're right," she kissed him once, twice. "I miss you."

They saw each other every day and every night, and he knew exactly what she meant with that – it was a relief, somehow, to hear the words. He certainly wasn't the only one.

"I miss you too," he said nuzzling her neck and making Anna giggle.

"Do you ever…" Anna started, and he stopped for a moment, just breathing in her scent and stroking her narrow waist. "Do you ever miss those days, with just the two of us?"

John thought for a second, but ultimately shook his head. "Do you?"

Anna shook her head. "No. It just feels like it's been longer since it was just the two of us," she ran her hands through his hair and sighed. "Can you believe it? A year ago we were wondering if we could adopt Emily. Now we have her and Lottie."

John smiled. "And who knows how many more in the future."

Anna giggled loudly at this, accepting his kiss happily. They truly had a lot to celebrate for – the fourth birthday of their eldest, smart little girl, and Lottie herself was celebrating her third month of life – which was filled with many happy moments, and many learning moments as well, for all of them.

They learned new things about their girls every day – and he didn't think it was too bad to think of maybe having another to add to their happiness, if fate allowed it. He relished in the memories of them – Lottie was becoming a mirror of Anna, except for his dark hair, and Emily seemed to be the only one who could get her to giggle and laugh all day. She was an easy baby, who seemed to enjoy sleep quite a lot, and he was completely enamoured by all of them. It was lovely to see the easy relationship between the sisters flourishing; Emily would often try to engage Lottie in her own activities, even if the baby was much too young to know how to deal with that. Still, they had great moments together – just last week it looked like Emily had got a dream come true in the presence of a box big enough for her fit inside it, and every time she disappeared inside the box, Charlotte would grow anxious and giggle loudly when Emily showed up again. Anna was tired, he knew, and he felt guilty for not being as present as he wanted to be in their lives, but every time she spoke of their daughters she was happy, and the glint in her eyes never ceased, especially with the change they would have in the near future. It made his heart burst with love, for all three of them.

Now, with Emily's fourth birthday, he hoped he could try and teach her how to read before school, as she was so interested in books and words, her inquisitive nature reminding him of himself in a young age. He didn't have much time now, unfortunately, but he would hopefully cease his activities as Lord Grantham's valet in a few weeks, if everything worked out as planned. They had had a couple of viewings of hotels on the seaside recently, and ultimately decided on one in Scarborough, in a rather nice area and with a lovely view to the sea. It would be wonderful to raise the girls there, near the sea and still not too far from Downton. They had yet to tell Emily, but he was quite sure she would love it - as would Lottie.

"Come on," Anna pulled from him, before they got carried away. "Let's get the little ones ready for bed and then we can follow them too."

John sighed, his hand never leaving hers as they reached the parlour. Indeed, both their children were still where he had left them – Lottie was kicking her legs slightly from her position on the blanket, whilst Emily had fallen asleep beside her. Sharing a smile with his wife, he picked up the pencils and crayons from the floor, as well as a few papers. He reached for Emily slowly, trying not to wake her, as Anna got Lottie from the floor, who was blowing bubbles happily, excited to see them. Emily did not so much as grunt when he picked her up, her head quickly resting on his shoulder. She might be four, but she was still very much his little girl – and he hoped she wouldn't grow up too fast.

He was about to head for the stairs when Anna's voice called him.

"John, look at this," she said, handing him a paper – Emily's drawing.

He took it with some difficulty, and his heart swelled upon seeing it. Emily had drawn them – he supposed, at least. He was the tallest figure in the childish artwork, he could guess, with dark body and dark hair, and Anna was beside him, with bright yellow hair. Emily was beside him as well, yellow hair just like Anna's, and the smallest figure was beside her – Lottie. They all had over exaggerated smiles on their faces. He loved it.

"We might have an artist in our hands," he joked, though his voice cracked slightly. He looked at Anna, at the now impatient Lottie rubbing her face against Anna's dress, obviously hungry, and at the sleeping girl in his arms.

It might have taken them a long time to get here, and many changes might have happened in the last year, but the results had been far better than he had ever dreamed of. And he certainly couldn't wait to see what the future had for them.


End file.
